Foley & Lardner Awarded Gold Standard Certification by WILEF for Promoting Gender Diversity

The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) has awarded Foley & Lardner its 2021 Gold Standard Certification for its commitment to promoting gender diversity. WILEF grants Gold Standard status to major firms that meet objective criteria concerning the number of women among equity partners, in firm leadership positions, and in the ranks of their most highly compensated partners.

For 2021 US Gold Standard Certification, new criteria meant that firms had to satisfy both of the following two mandatory criteria:

• 25% of equity partners or, alternatively, 40% of the attorneys becoming equity partners during the past 12 months are women
• 10% of women equity partners are women of color or 4% of women equity partners are LGBT

and 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

Launched in 2007, WILEF is the premier organization for women in law exclusively dedicated to women from the largest law firms and corporate law departments in the United States.