WASHINGTON—The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) has named Covington to its 2021 Gold Standard Certification list in both the United States and the United Kingdom. This is the seventh year the firm has been recognized in the U.S. and the second year being recognized for both countries. Covington is one of four firms to receive both the U.S. and UK Gold Standard Certification.
WILEF grants Gold Standard status to major firms that meet objective criteria concerning the number of women among their equity partners, in firm leadership positions, and in the ranks of their most highly compensated partners.
“We are honored that WILEF continues to recognize our efforts to increase the gender balance of our partnership and management teams throughout the firm,” said partner Emily Henn, a member of the firm’s Management and Executive Committees. “Gender equity is something we strive to maintain and that our clients expect and deserve from us. Our women lawyers are some of the finest in the profession, leading critical practices and key relationships. Diversity and inclusion is embedded in Covington’s culture, and it coincidentally enhances our competitiveness in today’s marketplace.”
For 2021 U.S. Gold Standard Certification, a meaningful percentage means that the firm satisfies both the following two mandatory criteria:
- 25% of equity partners or, alternatively, 40% of the lawyers 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+
For the WILEF UK Gold Standard, firms needed to meet two of the four following 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
With chapters in New York, Washington DC, Chicago, London, Texas, Boston, and California, WILEF is the premier organization for women in law dedicated to helping women in the largest law firms and corporate law departments advance their careers by developing a sense of empowerment and becoming leaders.
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