WILEF is now accepting applications for the 2018 Gold Standard Certification. The recognition is open to law firms with 300 or more practicing attorneys in the United States.

To be included in the initial listing of 2018 Gold Standard Firms, applications must be completed by June 1, 2018.

This year, firms will have to show that women make up 20 percent of equity partners or, alternatively, that women make up 33 percent of the attorneys who became equity partners during the past 12 months.

In addition, firms will need to satisfy at least three of the following five criteria:

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