Thompson Coburn celebrates five years of meeting the ‘Gold Standard’ for women leaders

In 2018, Thompson Coburn is celebrating five straight years of earning 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 42 firms nationwide achieved “Gold Standard Certification” in 2018.

In announcing this year’s slate of honorees, WILEF highlighted the standard that at least 33% of new equity partners over the 12-month period were women, an indicator that firms are actively seeking to add women to their partner ranks. More than 30 firms, including Thompson Coburn, met or exceeded this standard.

Law firms are eligible for the 2018 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 was one of just 16 firms nationally to meet all six qualifications for the WILEF Gold Certification:

• 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 20% of the firm’s governance committee.
• Women make up at least 20% of the firm’s compensation committee.
• Women make up 15% of the top half of the firm’s equity partners in terms of compensation.
• At least 7% of U.S. women equity partners are women of color and/or 3.5% of them are LGBT.