Contact: Mark Fefer, Marketing Communications, 206.757.8583 or markfefer@dwt.com
JUNE 23, 2016 – For the sixth consecutive year, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has been awarded Gold Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), recognizing the significant number of women in top leadership positions at the firm.
WILEF toughened the criteria for certification this year, and only 31 law firms nationwide met the Gold standard, compared to 44 last year.
Firms with 200 or more practicing lawyers in the U.S. were eligible for certification if they met four or more of the following six benchmarks for representation of women at the firm:
- 25 percent of U.S. practice group leaders/department heads
- 20 percent of U.S. equity partners or, alternatively, one-third of non-lateral attorneys that became U.S. equity partners within the previous 12 months
- 20 percent of the primary governance committee
- 20 percent of the compensation committee or its equivalent
- 15 percent of firm and U.S. branch office heads combined
- 15 percent of the top half of U.S. equity partners in terms of compensation
Davis Wright Tremaine was one of only six firms in the country that met all six of the WILEF Gold Certification criteria.
"Meeting all six of the WILEF criteria is a testament to the accomplishments of our women lawyers and the fact that they have actively paved the way to success for other women lawyers," said Sharon Schneier, chair of Davis Wright Tremaine’s Executive Committee. "The firm takes its commitment to maintaining a diverse workplace very seriously and strives to maintain a firmwide principle of inclusion."
"I’m proud of our women leaders and proud to be part of a firm that strongly supports their success," said Portia Moore, chair of the Davis Wright Tremaine Diversity & Inclusion Committee and a partner in the firm’s Employment Services Group. "We are relentlessly focused on building a workplace where excellence can flourish, where different backgrounds and experiences are valued, and where different career aspirations and needs are supported. There’s still much to do industrywide, but we’re honored to help lead the way."
The firm’s commitment to advancing women extends beyond the walls of the firm and includes Project W, a multi-faceted initiative to help women in the economy at large further their careers, achieve parity in the workplace, and improve their lives.
For more on Davis Wright Tremaine’s efforts to promote diversity, read our latest Diversity & Inclusion Report.
For more about Project W, visit dwt.com/projectw.