Diversity

Certifications & Memberships

Women’s Business Enterprise Certification (WBE)

Walsworth is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and by the California Public Utilities Commission. We are proud to have one of the largest California attorney presence of certified WBE law firms in the United States.

The national standard of certification provided by the WBENC is a meticulous process, including an in-depth review of the business and a site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm that the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs. Historically, corporations developed these programs to meet the requirements of one of their customers, the federal government, which requires companies that the government does business with to procure five percent of their goods and services from women-owned businesses and 5 percent from minority-owned businesses.

As one of the largest WBE law firms in the country, we are in a unique position to handle both volume and a wide variety of litigation and transactional matters.

National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)

Walsworth is the largest California-based law firm member of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).

NAMWOLF, a nonprofit trade association, is a bridge between corporate legal departments and minority and women-owned law firms. NAMWOLF is highly regarded in the profession for its vetting process of outside firms who undergo an extensive application and screening process to ensure they are of the highest quality. The vetting process includes a review by corporate counsel they work with and three references from Fortune 500 companies.

Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus Status

Walsworth was first granted Diversity Lab’s Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus status in 2023. Firms who have achieved Mansfield Plus Certification status achieved 30 percent diverse representation in current leadership roles and pipeline activities. The Midsize Mansfield Certification was launched in 2020 for firms with fewer than 150 attorneys. Following similar principles as Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Certification for larger firms, this certification measures whether midsize firms have considered at least 30 percent women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitches, lateral lawyer hiring, and more.

The structural elements of Diversity Lab’s certification process – including the accountability through frequent firm-specific check-ins and data collection, the ongoing collaboration through monthly group knowledge sharing meetings, and the transparency of publicly certifying – are key to this effort. Through the Mansfield Rule, the legal industry is making progress collectively rather than working in isolation. The Mansfield Rule, in just a few years, has made a major impact on diversifying law firm leadership, and we are looking forward to continued growth while better representing all types of people.

Diverse Supplier for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

Walsworth is certified by the Supplier’s Clearinghouse as a part of the Utility Supplier Diversity program for the California Public Utilities Commission. This program monitors supplier diversity and maintains an accurate database of firms that are accessible to utility providers.

California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP)

Walsworth is an active member of the California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP), a California 501(c)(6) non-profit mutual benefit corporation, focused on promoting diversity in the legal profession by providing attorneys of color with access and opportunity for business and professional development.

Our attorneys have participated in panel discussions, served on event planning committees, and frequently attend events across the state .

CMCP is the only state-wide organization that brings business lawyers of all races together as members and colleagues, regardless of the type of organization in which they practice, for the purpose of achieving diversity and inclusion within law firms and in-house law departments, and in the outside counsel spend of corporations and government agencies.

DEI Committee

Walsworth’s DEI Committee is led by Committee Chair and Partner Soniya Khemlani and is comprised of attorneys at all levels and staff members. The Committee’s goal is to cultivate a diverse and inclusive internal community that provides a competitive advantage for our valued clients.

Members of our DEI Committee play a critical role in shaping our firm’s culture and have spearheaded initiatives including booking guest speakers and thought leaders on topics such as equity in recruiting and work-life balance, partnering with law schools to strengthen the firm’s pipeline, implementing data-driven frameworks to bolster inclusion, and planning firmwide events focused on celebrating the diversity of our community members.

The formation of the DEI Committee has not only increased representation in all areas of the firm, but continues to strengthen our commitment to being a people-first firm where everyone, regardless of tenure or title, has a seat and a voice at the table.