Thompson Coburn LLP issued the following announcement on Oct. 21.
For the eighth year in a row, Thompson Coburn has earned a "Gold Standard Certification" from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for incorporating women into the highest levels of Firm leadership.
WILEF grants "Gold Standard" status to firms that meet criteria concerning the number of women among equity partners, in firm leadership positions, and in the ranks of their most highly compensated partners. This is the eleventh year of the U.S. Gold Standard and the fifteenth anniversary of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, WILEF raised the standards necessary to achieve "Gold Standard Certification" in 2021. "Obviously this year was a difficult one for U.S. law firms to attain the Gold Standard...upping the criteria was necessary as we move the needle forward," said Elizabeth "Betiayn" Tursi, WILEF's Global Chair.
Law firms are eligible for the 2021 WILEF "Gold Standard Certification" if they successfully demonstrate 25% of equity partners or 40% of the attorneys becoming equity partners during the past 12 months are women and 10% of women equity partners are women of color or 4% of women equity partners are LGBT. They must also meet at least two of the following four criteria:
- 20% of the firm and U.S. branch office heads are women
- 25% of the firm's primary governance committee are women
- 25% of the firm's compensation committee or its equivalent are women
- 20% of the top half of the firm's equity partners in terms of compensation are women
Original source can be found here.