100 law firms achieve Mansfield Rule certification
In the US, 100 law firms have earned a Mansfield Rule certification after completing a year-long programme aimed at promoting D&I, recruitment specialist Diversity Lab has revealed.
The certification measures whether law firms have considered at least 30% women, attorneys of colour, LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities for recruitment, governance roles, equity partner promotions and inclusion in formal pitches to clients.
According to new data announced yesterday, September 15, 96% of firms reported that their teams of lawyers participating in formal pitch meetings had become more diverse after participating in the programme, while 65% of firms said that more underrepresented lawyers were appointed or elected to their management or executive committee.
Furthermore, 63% of firms said they have increased the percentage of underrepresented lawyers promoted into equity partnerships, and 58% of firms reported that their partner hiring pool had become more diverse.
Other outcomes include: 66% of firms now have a higher percentage of diverse attorneys participating in formal pitches; 55% of firms reported a higher percentage of diverse attorneys elected or appointed to their management or executive committee; 53% of firms increased the percentage of underrepresented lawyers in head office positions; and half of firms promoted a higher percentage of diverse lawyers into equity partnerships
Diversity Lab also announced that it is partnering with more than 20 midsize law firms to pilot a new version of the rule developed for firms with fewer than 100 lawyers in the US.
This certification process has been fine-tuned to boost diversity in leadership for firms with smaller lawyer populations, single office locations, and leaner firm leadership structures, Diversity Lab said. The certification period for the midsize version is 18 months, running from September 15 to March 15, 2022.
The idea for the Mansfield Rule originated from the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon hosted by Diversity Lab in collaboration with Bloomberg Law and Stanford Law School and was inspired by the National Football League (NFL)’s Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach vacancies.
The goal of the rule is to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these roles and opportunities, and was named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to practise law in the US.
Law firm Katten's chief diversity partner Leslie Minier said: "We have proudly supported the Mansfield Rule since its inception because we value and are committed to improving diversity, equity and inclusion at Katten.
“We envision a diversified legal profession in which the barriers to success are dismantled so all our attorneys are given opportunities to grow and become leaders and are equally represented at the table."
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