Additionally, Reed Smith is one of only two law firms in the United States to have met or exceeded all of the criteria to achieve WILEF’s “Gold Standard” for a record seven years in a row.
“We are proud to be a leader in gender equity and equal opportunity,” said Philadelphia-based partner Sara A. Begley, who leads the Women’s Initiative Network of Reed Smith (WINRS). “This honor is further proof that we have a culture where women thrive.”
A growing global community of lawyers, WINRS operates as a “Virtual Practice Group” at Reed Smith dedicated to further enhancing our workplace to more effectively develop, reward, engage, and attract women lawyers.
According to WILEF: “The Certification Award is the only one of its kind directed toward certifying, publicly recognizing, and broadly publicizing eligible law firms that have integrated women into the highest leadership positions in the firm.”
For 2017 Gold Standard Certification, a meaningful percentage means that the firm satisfies four or more of the following criteria:
- 20% of equity partners or, alternatively, 33% or more of the attorneys becoming equity partners during the past twelve months are women
- 15% of firm and U.S. branch office heads are women equity partners
- 20% of the firm’s governance committee are women equity partners
- 20% of the firm’s compensation committee or its equivalent are women equity partners
- 25% of the firm’s practice group/department heads are women equity partners
- 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
Reed Smith has met or exceeded all of the above criteria for 2017, and is one of only two firms in the United States to have done so each consecutive year since WILEF began its certification process for law firms in 2011.
For more information about WILEF’s 2017 Gold Standard Certification process, visit http://wileftribune.com/.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 27 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, entertainment and media, shipping and transport, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing and technology, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
U.S.: Century City, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Richmond, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Tysons, Washington, D.C., Wilmington
Europe: Athens, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Paris
Middle East: Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Asia: Beijing, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Shanghai, Singapore
