Midsize Mansfield Rule
Mansfield for Midsize Law Firms Aims to Boosts Inclusivity & Diversity in Leadership
The Mansfield Rule is a structured certification process designed to ensure all talent at participating law firms and legal departments have a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership. Mansfield is focused on broadening the talent pool for consideration, including those historically underrepresented in the legal profession, to facilitate transparent leadership pathways.
Industry data shows that leadership in law firms and legal departments does not reflect the diversity of the workforce or society. Since lawyers often have an immense societal footprint – often branching out from leadership in private practice and companies to take on roles where their decisions reverberate massively across the public and private sectors – equity in the legal profession at the leadership level is crucial.
Important Note: There is no intent in the design or parameters to exclude any talent from consideration for opportunities at any participating law firms or legal departments. The focus is on inclusivity, consistent with the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity. Mansfield does not ever require an organization to violate the law in any way. Proper implementation of these efforts never requires a set aside, a quota, or the use of any criteria other than the selection and promotion of the highest qualified candidate for an opportunity. It is the obligation of each organization to consult with its own legal and human resources departments before implementing Mansfield. An effective Mansfield organization follows the law carefully and engages with internal resources to achieve implementation.
Mansfield Background
In late 2020, Diversity Lab launched a new iteration of Mansfield developed for firms with 25 to 150 lawyers. The Mansfield Midsize Certification process, modeled after the initial large firm version started in 2017, has been fine-tuned and tailored to boost diversity in leadership for firms with fewer lawyers, smaller footprints, and leaner leadership structures. To become Mansfield Midsize Certified, firms are asked to consider at least 30% qualified historically underrepresented lawyers for the following leadership roles, activities, and more.
- Equity partner promotions
- Election or appointment to Managing Partner/Chairperson
- Election or appointment to other high-level firm governance positions, including: Management/Executive Committee and/or Board of Directors, Practice Group Leaders, OfficeHeads, Partner Promotions/Nominations Committee, and Compensation Committee
- Participation in formal client pitches and formal client business meetings
- All lawyer and senior professional staff hiring
- Transparent job responsibilities for governance roles
- Transparent processes for governance appointments/elections
Additional details on Mansfield’s evolution and outcomes can be found here.
Current Progress
Initial outcomes – as noted in this Bloomberg article and American Lawyer article – show Mansfield is achieving its intended purpose to diversify leadership. As demonstrated by the law firm and legal department leaders’ own words, they are witnessing meaningful results. As this recent analysis shows, Mansfield firms are increasing the inclusivity and transparency of their leadership processes. As a result, the early adopter firms are progressing at a faster rate than they were pre-Mansfield and outpacing non-Mansfield firms on diversifying leadership.
Mansfield Midsize Certified Firms: September 2021 – March 2023
Midsize firms that participated in the 2021-2023 certification process and recently achieved certification include:
*indicates Certified Plus status
| Baird Holm* | HWG* | Peckar & Abramson |
| Barton Gilman* | Hartline Barger | Phillips Murrah* |
| Bressler, Amery & Ross | Higgs Fletcher & Mack | Phillips Nizer* |
| Burns White | Hinckley Allen | Plunkett Cooney |
| Cantor Colburn | Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas | Prince Lobel |
| CDF Labor Law* | Hurwitz Fine* | Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg* |
| Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass | Irwin Fritchie Urquhart Moore & Daniels* | Roig Lawyers* |
| Collins + Collins* | Jackson Kelly | Sands Anderson |
| Collins Einhorn Farrell* | Klarquist Sparkman* | Saxe Doernberger & Vita |
| Cox, Castle & Nicholson* | Lerner David | Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt* |
| Davis+Gilbert* | Lewis Thomason | Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner |
| Degan, Blanchard & Nash* | Lightfoot, Franklin & White* | Shuttleworth & Ingersoll* |
| Dority & Manning | Marks O’Neill O’Brien Doherty & Kelly | Skarzynski Marick & Black |
| Farella Braun + Martel* | Maslon* | Smith Anderson* |
| Finn Dixon & Herling | McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff | Stark & Stark |
| Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery* | McGinnis Lochridge | Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox |
| Foley Mansfield* | McGivney, Kluger, Clark & Intoccia | Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers* |
| Foster Swift Collins & Smith* | McGlinchey Stafford | Tiber Hudson* |
| Genova Burns* | Meagher & Geer* | Waldon Adelman Castilla Hiestand & Prout |
| Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale | Messner Reeves* | Walsworth* |
| Hahn Loeser & Parks | Miller & Chevalier Chartered | Winget, Spadafora & Schwartzberg |
| Hall Render | Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan* | Wolf Greenfield & Sacks* |
| Hancock Daniel & Johnson* | O’Hagan Meyer | Wyrick Robbins |
| Harness IP | Parker Hudson* |
Mansfield Midsize Certified Firms: March 2022 – July 2023
Midsize firms that participated in the 2022-2023 certification process and recently achieved certification include:
*indicates Certified Plus status
| Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa | Hirschler | Meunier Carlin and Curfman* |
| Bailey & Glasser | Hooper, Lundy & Bookman | Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell |
| Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg* | Ivins, Phillips & Barker* | Morrison Cohen |
| Bose McKinney & Evans | Keating Muething & Klekamp* | Moye White |
| Brooks Kushman* | Keesal, Young & Logan* | Much Shelist* |
| Brouse McDowell | Kegler Brown Hill & Ritter Co. | Nilan Johnson Lewis* |
| Brown & Connery | Keker, Van Nest & Peters* | Osha Bergman Watanabe and Burton* |
| Brown & James | Keller and Heckman | Patterson + Sheridan |
| Burke, Williams & Sorensen* | Kelley Jasons McGowan Spinelli Hanna & Reber | Pearne & Gordon |
| Bush Seyferth* | Kitch Law Firm | Porter Hedges |
| Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry* | Klinedinst | Porzio, Bromberg & Newman |
| Cook Group Legal* | Koley Jessen | Robbins Schwartz* |
| Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman* | Levenfeld Pearlstein | Rutan and Tucker |
| Drew Eckl & Farnham | Liskow & Lewis | Sherman & Howard |
| Erise IP | Loopstra Nixon | Severson & Werson* |
| Frantz Ward | Marshall, Gerstein & Borun* | Starnes Davis Florie |
| Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman* | Martin Clearwater & Bell* | Summit Law Group* |
| Goldberg Kohn | McAndrews, Held & Malloy* | Ulmer & Berne |
| Gould & Ratner | McBrayer* | Wiggin and Dana* |
| Grant and Eisenhofer | McDowell Hetherington | Wilkinson Barker Knauer* |
| Harter Secrest & Emery | McGonigle | ZwillGen* |
| Haug Partners* | McGrath North Mullin & Kratz* | |
| Hausfeld | McKool Smith | |
| Hawkins Parnell & Young | McLane Middleton | |
| Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson | Merchant & Gould* |
If your firm is interested in learning more about Mansfield Midsize, please contact Courtney Munnings at courtney@diversitylab.com.