Letter from Covington & Burling LLP

Dear Black Law Students Association:

I am writing to you on behalf of the African American associates at Covington & Burling LLP. As you may know, Covington will soon be at The University of Virginia School of Law to interview candidates for its 2013 summer associate class. We write to encourage you and your colleagues to interview with us.

We were once in your position, faced with the task of finding an outstanding firm that not only provides an opportunity to practice in engaging and stimulating areas of law, but also fosters a nurturing and supportive environment for professional development as an attorney. We welcome the chance to show you that Covington offers that rare combination of extraordinary professional opportunity and institutional humanity that makes it an exceptionally attractive home for young lawyers who are seeking a challenging and exciting practice. The American Lawyer magazine has ranked Covington’s pro bono practice among the top three firms for 15 of the past 19 years. Covington is also one of a handful of law firms ranked as one of the top 100 employers by Working Mother magazine. In addition, the firm boasts seven black equity partners, five of whom started their careers at the firm and all of whom work in different substantive areas of the firm’s practice.

Covington has a distinguished record of hiring and promoting African American attorneys. Covington helped found and still coordinates the D.C. Road show, an annual recruiting event aimed at encouraging African American law students to practice in large D.C. law firms. In 2008, The National Law Journal recognized one of our current partners, Tom Williamson, and a former partner, currently the Attorney General of the United States, as two of “The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.” Our alumni include the first African American Attorney General of the United States, a former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, an award-winning author, a federal district court judge, and an associate judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals. Our African American partners have held or currently serve in key leadership roles at the firm, including membership on the firm’s seven-member Management Committee in the recent past and current leadership of several of the firm’s practice groups (e.g., Employment, Media and Communications and London Technology.) African American partners andBlack Law Students Association April 12, 2012 Page 2

associates also serve on the following firm-wide committees: Evaluation, Summer Associate Program, Budget, Business, Associate Advisory, Diversity, and Retirement Plan.

In addition to our fee-paying practice, Covington eagerly and systematically seeks opportunities to handle pro bono cases that protect the legally underserved and impact the larger community. The firm has successfully challenged discrimination by entities ranging from the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The firm has received numerous awards for its longstanding commitment to pro bono work from organizations such as the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Mississippi Center for Justice, and the Southern Center for Human Rights. At the same time Covington remains dedicated to the local community by sponsoring pro bono legal services rotations for C&B lawyers who work at public interest firms in D.C. that serve the poor and a partnership program with an inner city public high school in Washington, D.C.

If you begin your career at Covington, regardless of whether you are interested in litigation, corporate or regulatory practice, you will work with and be mentored by practitioners recognized as among the best in their fields. We urge you to sign up and consider Covington as you plan your interviews for this fall. In the event of a scheduling conflict, please send your resume and transcript to me or to the Recruiting Department; I will make sure that it gets in the right person’s hand for consideration.

Sincerely,

Keir Gumbs Washington, D.C.

Cyril Djoukeng Washington, D.C.