Covington has unparalleled experience representing corporations and individuals in congressional investigations. Our experiences span the full scope of investigations – from discrete requests resolved with little public attention, to some of the most high-profile and contentious investigations and oversight hearings posing significant legal and reputational risks for global companies. Our clients have included many Fortune 100 and 500 companies, and we have prepared numerous CEOs and other senior corporate officers to testify before congressional oversight panels.
Covington’s congressional investigations practice provides clients with an exceptional blend of political and legal skills. Our practitioners are steeped in the unique attributes of congressional investigations, which often require strategies and considerations that are different from traditional litigation or other government investigations. Our political skills are matched by our deep substantive expertise in the laws and regulations affecting major industry segments, which permits us to ensure that political strategies in Congress do not invite unintended collateral legal or regulatory risks. Our lawyers are particularly adept at balancing the legal, public relations, regulatory, and reputational risks associated with congressional investigations, particularly when congressional investigations are accompanied by parallel criminal or civil litigation risks. In large investigations, we frequently serve as our clients’ key advisers, ensuring that the activities of public relations consultants, in-house lawyers, outside litigation counsel, and others are well coordinated and managed.
Our congressional investigations practice is bipartisan and includes several former senior government officials with deep experience in congressional and other government investigations, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, former Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, and former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Stuart Eizenstat. Our broader team includes veterans of the House and Senate, the White House, and numerous federal agencies.
We have experience handling investigations by nearly every committee in Congress, including the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Ethics Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Ethics Committee, the House Financial Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, among others.