Covington Elects Two New Members to Management Committee

Covington Elects Two New Members to Management Committee

February 17, 2021

WASHINGTON—Covington partners have elected Phyllis Jones and Lisa Peets to the firm’s eight-member Management Committee, which includes three women, two of whom are women of color. Ms. Jones and Ms. Peets will serve four-year terms and work with other members of the committee in setting the firm’s strategy, overseeing the firm’s operations, supporting the firm’s representation of clients, and working to foster and promote the firm’s culture of collaboration, teamwork, and service.

Ms. Jones and Ms. Peets replace Catherine Dargan and Louise Nash, who each served two four-year terms on the Management Committee. Ms. Dargan will now serve as chair of the firm’s Corporate Practice, and Ms. Nash will lead the firm’s EMEA strategy.

“Phyllis and Lisa embody the Covington ethos. They are extraordinarily strong partners and skilled lawyers, who have the judgment and interpersonal skills that our partners want to see in the Management Committee, and they will bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to the management of our firm,” said Doug Gibson, Covington’s chair. “The gender and ethnic diversity of the Committee is also critical because we see diversity and inclusion as an essential element of our culture and community.”

Based in Washington, Ms. Jones began her legal career as a summer associate at Covington in 2004, was hired as an associate at the firm in 2007, and became a partner in 2013. Ms. Jones has a wide-ranging complex litigation practice representing clients in state and federal courts and before arbitral panels and regulatory bodies. Several media outlets have recognized Ms. Jones for her success as a first-chair trial lawyer and named her a Law360 Product Liability MVP, National Law Journal D.C. Rising Star, and an Am Law Litigation Daily Litigator of the Week over the last several years. She serves as co-chair of the firm’s Product Liability and Mass Tort practice, which The American Lawyer recognized as its Product Liability Litigation Department of the Year in 2016 and 2020.

Dividing her time between London and Brussels, Ms. Peets began her legal career as a summer associate at Covington in 1993, was hired as an associate in 1998, and became a partner in 2005. Ms. Peets leads the firm’s Technology Regulatory practice in Europe. In that role, she works closely with leading multinationals, including many of the world’s best-known technology companies, counseling clients on a range of EU law issues, including data protection, copyright, consumer protection, trade controls, and the rapidly expanding universe of EU rules applicable to existing and emerging technologies. She recently represented the Business Software Alliance in both the "Schrems II" litigation and EU-U.S. Privacy Shield annulment action before the EU Court of Justice. According to the 2020 edition of Chambers UK, "Trusted voice” Lisa Peets is lauded as a “meticulous and thoughtful” practitioner.