SEC Wins Access to Some Covington & Burling Clients’ Names

Covington & Burling LLP must turn over the names of seven clients whose data was compromised in a cyberattack to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, despite objections by the firm and others that to do so would weaken attorney-client privilege.

The SEC had asked in March for the names of almost 300 “public company clients” of the law firm, saying it needed them to determine if the hackers had used the information they stole to engage in illicit trading.

US District Court Judge Amit Mehta in Washington ruled that request was “too broad” and he ordered the law firm ...