WilmerHale has been recognized as one of only two large law firms to have above-average diversity at all levels in terms of race, ethnicity and gender, according to Law360's recent article "The Best Firms For Women And Minority Attorneys," which discusses its latest Glass Ceiling Report and Diversity Snapshot. More than 300 US law firms were surveyed to assess representation of both women and minorities at every tier, from associates to equity partners. 

“At WilmerHale, diverse attorneys have long been at the helm—first with former co-managing partner William Lee, an Asian-American, and now with Susan Murley, a female co-managing partner,” said Catherine Carroll, partner-in-charge of the Washington office. “It's great because it really sets the standard up at the top, and demonstrates at the highest levels what we're hoping to achieve throughout the firm.”

Carroll also underscored the importance of diversity more broadly in terms of firm leadership, noting that women make up 25 percent of the management committee and 40 percent of the compensation committee, an important inflection point for setting firm priorities and standards.

Law360's survey follows a strong streak of recognition related to diversity at WilmerHale. In the past two months alone, Law360's 2017 Glass Ceiling Report recognized WilmerHale as a best law firm for female attorneys and a “ceiling smasher” for female equity partners. The firm was also named a Best Law Firm for Women for the 10th consecutive year by Working Mother magazine, received a fourth Gold Standard Award from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), and announced a partnership with Diversity Lab to pilot the Mansfield Rule, which seeks to ensure greater diversity of women and attorneys of color in candidate pools for recruiting, promotion, and leadership opportunities within the firm.