NEW YORK, June 27, 2016: Morgan Lewis again has been named a Gold Standard firm by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF). This prestigious honor from WILEF, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary as the premier organization promoting women in large law firms, signifies Morgan Lewis’s success in elevating women into its leadership ranks.
WILEF’s Gold Standard Certification program, now in its sixth year, is reserved for firms of 300 lawyers or more that have met a majority of criteria the organization has developed for calculating the progress of women. WILEF tightened the criteria this year, resulting in 31 firms receiving certification—13 fewer than last year, when Morgan Lewis also received this honor.
“This achievement is important because it reflects the way in which our firm has approached its commitment to diversity,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “The very best organizations recognize the value of diverse teams and perspectives. We are fortunate to have outstanding women at our firm at all levels, and we recognize the importance of having their input at all stages of leadership.”
Included among WILEF’s metrics are percentages of women equity partners, proportion of women who are office managing partners, and percentages of women who are practice group leaders. The criteria also include the percentages of women on a firm’s governance and compensation committees, as well as women’s presence among a firm’s most highly compensated partners.
WILEF was founded in New York in 2007 with the goal of providing educational and networking opportunities for women in law firms. It has since expanded to several cities across the United States.
Read WILEF’s press release announcing the firms that received Gold Standard Certification.