WilmerHale was among 42 law firms the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) awarded with the organization’s 2018 Gold Standard Certification for meeting criteria that indicate the firms are delivering on the promise of advancing the careers of women lawyers.

To receive the certification, law firms needed to demonstrate that women comprised 20 percent of equity partners or, alternatively, that they were 33 percent of those who became equity partners in the preceding 12 months. WilmerHale and the other firms also were required to meet at least three of the five additional criteria. They were, according to WILEF:

• 15% of firm and US branch office heads are women
• 20% of the firm’s primary governance committee are women
• 20% of the firm’s compensation committee or its equivalent are women
• 15% of the top half of the firm’s equity partners in terms of compensation are women
• 7% of women equity partners are women of color or 3.5% of women equity partners are LGBT

“Particularly noteworthy is the number of firms that met the standard of at least 33 percent of the new equity partners in the past twelve-month period were women… (and) 32 firms met or exceeded this standard,” said Nancy Bertoglio, chair of WILEF’s Certification Committee, in a news release. WilmerHale was one of firms that well-surpassed that mark—42 percent of the lawyers the firm elevated to partner during that period under consideration were women.