Faegre Baker Daniels Named a Top Law Firm for Women

Faegre Baker Daniels is among 44 U.S. law firms to receive Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) in 2017. This designation recognizes firms with women in top leadership roles who impact firm management and compensation decisions.

“It is an honor for us to receive this designation by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum for the third consecutive year,” said Karin Johnson, partner and chair of the Faegre Baker Daniels Women’s Forum for Achievement. “Our firm is proud of its commitment to providing a work environment where all attorneys can feel supported by their peers and thrive.”

WILEF invited firms with 300 or more practicing lawyers in the U.S. to apply for the certification. The designation is based solely on statistical data of women lawyers in leadership and highly compensated positions, and not on the firm's internal diversity policies.

To be certified, firms had to meet at least four of the following seven criteria:

• 20 percent of U.S. equity partners, or alternatively, one-third of attorneys who became U.S. equity partners within the previous 12 months, are women
• 15 percent of the heads of the firm and its U.S. branch office heads combined are women
• 20 percent of the members of the firm’s primary governance committee are women
• 20 percent of the members of the committee that determines equity partner compensation are women
• 25 percent of U.S. practice group leaders/department heads are women
• 15 percent of the top half of U.S. equity partners in terms of compensation are women
• 7 percent of U.S. women equity partners are women of color and/or 3.5 percent of them are LGBT

“An inclusive work environment and a diverse group of colleagues and leaders benefit all of our lawyers and personnel,” said the firm’s recently appointed managing partner Tom Froehle. “We recognize that leading in this area is critical to our ability to provide world-class service to our clients and ultimately to our long term success.”

Faegre Baker Daniels actively supports the advancement of women in the legal industry through its internal Women's Forum for Achievement. This affinity group provides a platform for women to develop their careers, practices and networks, and ensures the firm is a place where women can achieve long-term success.

The Women in Law Empowerment Forum launched the Gold Standard Certification initiative as a change agent for women to rise within their law firms as business developers and leaders. The organization seeks to create a dialogue for the purpose of educating women in law firms on how to become leaders in the workplace and in the community by building, exercising and implementing a strong sense of empowerment.