Midsize Mansfield Rule
Mansfield Rule for Midsize Law Firms Continues Boosting Diversity in Law
First Cohort of 26 Midsize Firms Announced as Mansfield Rule Certified
In late 2020, Diversity Lab launched a new iteration of the Mansfield Rule developed for firms with between 25 and 150 lawyers in the U.S. and Canada. The Midsize Mansfield Rule certification process, modeled after the original large-firm version, has been fine-tuned to boost diversity in leadership for firms with smaller lawyer populations, fewer office locations, and leaner firm leadership structures.
Similar to the large law firm version, firms that successfully complete the Midsize Mansfield Rule criteria will be designated as “Mansfield Certified” and will have the opportunity to send their newly promoted historically underrepresented partners to the Mansfield Rule Client Forums to build relationships with and learn from Diversity Lab’s in-house counsel collaborators. To date, more than 80 legal departments have contributed to or hosted Client Forums, including Bloomberg L.P., Fannie Mae, Ford Motor Co., Gap Inc., Google, MassMutual, McDonald’s Corporation, Netflix, PayPal, Pfizer, Starbucks, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Transamerica, Uber Technologies Inc., ViacomCBS, and Walgreen Co.
May 5, 2022 Update: Diversity Lab is proud to announce that 26 midsize law firms (listed below) have achieved the inaugural Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification. Please read our press release here.
Midsize Mansfield Rule — Certified Firms September 2020 – March 2022
Firms that achieved the inaugural Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification are:
*indicates Certification Plus Status
| Bailey & Glasser, LLP | Koley Jessen PC, LLO* | Osha Bergman Watanabe & Burton LLP* |
| Brooks Kushman PC* | Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP* | Patterson + Sheridan, LLP |
| The Cook Group* | McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd* | Severson & Werson* |
| Drew Eckl & Farnham* | McDowell Hetherington LLP* | Starnes Davis Florie LLP |
| Goldberg Kohn | Merchant & Gould PC* | Stotler Hayes Group, LLC |
| Hausfeld LLP* | Meunier Carlin & Curfman LLC* | Summit Law Group, PLLC* |
| Ivins, Phillips & Barker* | Moye White LLP | Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP* |
| KDB Firm PLLC | Much Shelist PC | ZwillGen PLLC |
| Keesal, Young & Logan* | McGonigle PC |
The Midsize Mansfield Rule Goal
The overall goal of the Midsize Mansfield Rule is to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in leadership by broadening the pool of women, LGBTQ+ lawyers, lawyers with disabilities, and/or racial/ethnic minority lawyers who are considered for entry-level and lateral attorney job openings, leadership opportunities, equity partner promotions, and opportunities to connect with clients.
How It Works
To be Mansfield Certified for 2022-2023, firms are asked to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers for 60% or more of the leadership roles and activities identified below.
- All lawyer hiring searches/openings (partners and non-seasonal associates at all levels)
- 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 Leader and/or Office Head
- Partner Promotions/Nominations Committee
- Compensation Committee
- Participation in formal client pitches and formal client business meetings
- Senior professional staff hiring and promotions
- Transparent job responsibilities for governance roles
- Transparent processes for governance appointments/elections
Midsize firms pursuing Mansfield Certification Plus must not only consider but achieve 30% representation of underrepresented lawyers in at least 60% of the above tracking categories.
Midsize Mansfield Rule — Participating Firms March 2022 – September 2023
The new and renewing firms participating in our 2022-2023 Midsize Mansfield Rule cohort include:
| Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa | Hooper, Lundy & Bookman | Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP |
| Bailey & Glasser LLP | Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Chartered | Morrison Cohen LLP |
| Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP | Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL | Moye White LLP |
| Bose McKinney & Evans LLP | Keesal, Young & Logan | Much Shelist |
| Brooks Kushman P.C. | Kegler Brown Hill & Ritter Co., LPA | Nilan Johnson Lewis PA |
| Brouse McDowell LPA | Keker, Van Nest & Peters | Osha Bergman Watanabe and Burton LLP |
| Brown & Connery, LLP | Keller and Heckman LLP | Patterson + Sheridan LLP |
| Brown & James | Kelley Jasons McGowan Spinelli Hanna & Reber, LLP | Pearne & Gordon LLP |
| Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP | Kitch Law Firm | Porter Hedges LLP |
| Bush Seyferth PLLC | Klinedinst PC | Porzio, Bromberg & Newman |
| Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry, PC | Koley Jessen PC, LLO | Robbins Schwartz |
| Cook Group Legal, PLLC | Levenfeld Pearlstein | Rutan and Tucker, LLP |
| Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, PC | Liskow & Lewis | Sherman & Howard |
| Drew Eckl & Farnham | Loopstra Nixon LLP | Severson & Werson |
| Erise IP | Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP | Starnes Davis Florie LLP |
| Frantz Ward LLP | Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP | Summit Law Group, PLLC |
| Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP | McAndrews, Held & Malloy | Ulmer & Berne, LLP |
| Gould & Ratner LLP | McBrayer PLLC | Wiggin and Dana LLP |
| Grant and Eisenhofer PA | McDowell Hetherington LLP | Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP |
| Harter Secrest & Emery LLP | McGonigle, PC | ZwillGen PLLC |
| Haug Partners LLP | McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO | |
| Hausfeld LLP | McKool Smith | |
| Hawkins Parnell & Young, LLP | McLane Middleton, Professional Association | |
| Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson PS | Merchant & Gould | |
| Hirschler | Meunier Carlin and Curfman LLC |
Midsize Mansfield Rule — Participating Firms September 2021 – March 2023
The firms participating in our 2021-2023 cohort of the Midsize Mansfield Rule include:
| Baird Holm LLP | Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP | Phillips Murrah PC |
| Barton Gilman LLP | Hartline Barger LLP | Phillips Nizer LLP |
| Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. | Higgs Fletcher & Mack | Plunkett Cooney |
| Buckley LLP | Hinckley Allen | Prince Lobel |
| Burns White | Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas, LLP | Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP |
| Cantor Colburn LLP | Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. | Roig Lawyers |
| CDF Labor Law | Irwin Fritchie Urquhart and Moore LLC | Sands Anderson PC |
| Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP | Jackson Kelly PLLC | Saxe Doernberger & Vita, PC |
| Collins + Collins | Klarquist Sparkman, LLP | Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC |
| Collins Einhorn Farrell PC | Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP | Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner |
| Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP | Lewis Thomason, PC | Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, PLC |
| Davis+Gilbert LLP | Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC | Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP |
| Degan, Blanchard & Nash | Marks O’Neill O’Brien Doherty & Kelly | Smith Anderson |
| Dority & Manning, P.A. | Maslon LLP | Stark & Stark |
| Farella Braun + Martel LLP | McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP | Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC |
| Finn, Dixon & Herling LLP | McGinnis Lochridge LLP | Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers |
| Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP | McGivney, Kluger, Clark & Intoccia, P.C | Tiber Hudson LLC |
| Foley & Mansfield, PLLP | McGlinchey Stafford | Waldon Adelman Castilla Hiestand & Prout, LLP |
| Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC | Meagher & Geer | Walsworth |
| Genova Burns LLC | Messner Reeves | Winget, Spadafora & Schwartzberg, LLP |
| Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, PC | Miller & Chevalier Chartered | Wolf Greenfield & Sacks |
| Hahn Loeser & Parks | Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads, LLP | Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP |
| Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, PC | Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP | |
| Hancock Daniel & Johnson, PC | O’Hagan Meyer | |
| Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC | Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs LLP |
If your firm is interested in learning more about the Midsize Mansfield Rule, please contact Courtney Munnings at courtney@diversitylab.com. Informational sessions are available.