About MoFo Women

Women’s Strategy Committee

Founded in 2006, MoFo’s Women’s Strategy Committee (WSC) works closely with firm leaders — including the firm’s chair, firm vice chairs, executive committee, and board of directors — to ensure that the advancement of women is a constant strategic priority.

WSC co-chairs travel to our offices for biannual “What’s Up with the WSC” town halls. The meetings elicit helpful feedback from our lawyers that drives and improves the committee’s goals, programs, and initiatives.

Through its task - force structure, the WSC focuses on several key areas to support its mission, including alumni, marketing, professional skills programming, relationship-building among women partners and between women associates and partners, lateral recruiting, and work - life programs.

Thirty partners, counsel, of counsel, and associates serve on the WSC, along with members of our senior staff.

Co-Chairs

Committee Members

Who We Are

We invite you to take a closer look at MoFo’s ongoing and ever-evolving diversity, women’s, and LGBTQ+ initiatives. In the gallery below, you’ll find a series of regularly distributed brochures featuring stories from some of MoFo’s talented lawyers, as well as highlights from recent events and programs.

Awards + Recognitions

MoFo women are setting the standard for excellence. They head teams that bring and defend groundbreaking cases; they lead cutting-edge practices; and they are nationally and internationally recognized as the best of the best by clients, competitors, and colleagues. They bring tremendous value to our firm, our clients, and our profession. The example they set with their excellence and the recognition they earn send a strong signal to other women about MoFo and the type of firm we strive to be.

  • Law360 Diversity Snapshot:  Ranked first overall among firms with 601+ lawyers in Law360's 2023 Diversity Snapshot for the third year in a row. MoFo pushed past benchmarks for the ranking, which is based on the pipeline score methodology, by more than three points.

  • Seramount (formerly Working Mother): Recognized as one of the Best Law Firms for Women for the 14th time, including every year since 2014. We are one of the few law firms that has been recognized more than 10 times, which, as of 2019, earned us a designation on the Hall of Fame list. Additionally, the firm has been ranked in the top five every year since 2018.
  • Diversity Lab: Received “Mansfield Certification Plus” recognition for 2023, joining a select group of firms to receive the honor every year since Diversity Lab’s launch of the Mansfield Rule in 2017. Certification Plus indicates that we have at least 30% women, minority, LGBTQ+, and lawyers with disabilities representation across notable leadership roles within the partnership and lateral hires, as well as in the talent pools from which we select talent for leadership and lateral recruiting opportunities.
  • Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF): Among the 29 U.S. firms awarded Gold Standard Certification by WILEF in 2023. WILEF recognizes firms where women have a strong presence in the equity partnership and firm leadership and are among the most highly compensated partners in the firm. MoFo has received the honor every year since the WILEF award program started in 2011.



During the 2020 editorial year, numerous women received recognitions.

  • American Bar Association: Linda Arnsbarger received the National Public Service Award and Lisa Phelan was recognized by the Antitrust Law Section’s Women.Connected Committee as a member of the Hall of Fame-inism.
  • Asian Legal Business: Chie Yakura was named Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year as part of the Japan Law Awards. Additionally, Sarah Thomas was recognized within the Asian Legal Business 40 Under 40 list.
  • Benchmark Litigation: Jessica Grant was named to the publication’s Top 250 Women in Litigation for the North America region. Within the Asia-Pacific category, Louise Stoupe, Sarah Thomas, and Chie Yakura were all named to the Top 100 Women in Litigation list.
  • C5 Women in Compliance: Barbara Mendelson was named Compliance Lawyer of the Year as part of the Women in Compliance Awards.
  • City & State New York: Carrie Cohen was named to the Law Power 100 list.
  • Crain’s New York Business: Cecillia Xie was included in the 20 in their 20s list.
  • Daily Journal: Several individuals were recognized, including Catherine Polizzi and Stefani Shanberg for Top Intellectual Property Lawyers; Erin Bosman for Top Health Care Lawyers; Penelope Preovolos for Top Antitrust Lawyers; Janie Schulman and Tritia Murata for Top Labor and Employment; and Jennifer Schmidt for Top 40 Under 40.
  • Euromoney LMG: In 2020, Barbara Mendelson was recognized as the Financial Regulation Lawyer of the Year as part of the Americas Women in Business Law Awards. Catherine Polizzi and Janet Xiao were also named Life Sciences Stars.
  • Hispanic National Bar Association: Alexis Amezcua was named a Top Lawyer Under 40.
  • Latinvex: Ruti Smithline received a Top 100 Lawyer recognition for both FCPA & Fraud, as well as Arbitration & Litigation. Ruti was also named a Top 100 Female Lawyer alongside Alexandra Aguirre.
  • Law360: Tritia Murata was named a MVP of the Year for Employment.
  • Los Angeles Business Journal: Purvi Patel was named a Top Minority Attorney and Tritia Murata was named a Top Women Attorney.
  • Managing IP: Deanne Maynard was recognized as the Outstanding Practitioner of the Year – Appellate as part of the Global Awards. Catherine Polizzi and Stefani Shanberg were both recognized as Top 250 Women in IP as well.
  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association: Bonnie Lau was honored with the Best Under 40 Award.
  • San Francisco Business Times: Alexis Amezcua was named a 40 Under 40 recipient.
  • Turnaround & Workouts: Jennifer Marines was named an Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer.