Thompson Coburn again recognized with ‘Gold Standard Certification’ for women in leadership

For the fourth year in a row, Thompson Coburn has received a “Gold Standard Certification” from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for incorporating women into the highest levels of firm leadership.

The honor recognizes the leadership roles achieved by equity women partners in law firms across the country. With eligibility limited to firms with 300 or more attorneys, only 44 firms nationwide achieved “Gold Standard Certification” in 2017. For the first time this year, WILEF added a new standard for firms that exceed a 7% threshold for women of color and a 3.5 percent threshold for LGBT women. More than 30% of participating firms met or exceeded those thresholds, including Thompson Coburn. 

Law firms are eligible for the 2017 WILEF Gold Standard Certification if they successfully demonstrate that women represent a meaningful percentage of equity partners, leadership positions, governance and compensation committees, and highly compensated partners.

Thompson Coburn met the qualifications for the WILEF Gold Certification based on the following criteria, some of which were increased from last year:

• Women account for at least 20% of equity partners or alternatively, 33% or more of the attorneys becoming equity partners during the past 12 months.
• Women represent at least 15% of firm chairs and office managing partners.
• Women make up at least 25% of the firm’s practice group leaders or department heads.
• At least 7% of U.S. women equity partners are women of color and/or 3.5% of them are LGBT.