Midsize Mansfield Rule
Mansfield Rule for Midsize Law Firms Continues Boosting Diversity in Law
As we reaffirmed in our recent statement of action, our team at Diversity Lab is constantly exploring ways to work with our partners to build a stronger and better legal community through diversity and inclusion. To that end, we are incredibly excited to announce a new addition to our successful Mansfield Rule initiative: The Mansfield Rule for Midsize Law Firms.
In late 2020, we partnered with more than 20 midsize law firms to pilot a new iteration of the Mansfield Rule developed for firms with between 25 and 150 lawyers in the U.S. The Midsize Mansfield Rule certification process, modeled after the original version, has been fine-tuned to boost diversity in leadership for firms with smaller lawyer populations, fewer office locations, and leaner firm leadership structures. The certification period for the Midsize version is 18 months (for the first cohort, September 15, 2020 to March 15, 2022) to provide ample time for the participating firms to take action on the required hiring, promotion, and leadership transition activities.
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 diverse 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 Barclays, Facebook, Fannie Mae, Ford Motor Company, Google, McKesson Corp, MetLife, Pfizer, PNC Bank, Uber, and US Bank.
September 2021 Update: In response to the exciting interest the new Mansfield pilot has generated, we launched a second Midsize Mansfield cohort in Fall 2021. Over 70 firms have registered to participate. See the press release.
If your midsize firm is interested in learning more about joining a future Midsize cohort, please contact Alyssa Jarvis at alyssa@diversitylab.com.
The 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, legal departments 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 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
- Transparent job responsibilities for governance roles
- Transparent processes for governance appointments/elections
- Participation in formal client pitches and formal client meetings
Midsize Mansfield Rule — Participating Firms 2020-2022
Some of the trailblazing firms piloting the inaugural Midsize Mansfield Rule include:
| Bailey & Glasser LLP | Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP | Patterson + Sheridan, LLP |
| Brooks Kushman P.C. | McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. | Severson & Werson |
| Brinks Gilson & Lione | McDowell Hetherington LLP | Starnes Davis Florie LLP |
| The Cook Group | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Stotler Hayes Group, LLC |
| Drew Eckl & Farnham | Meunier Carlin & Curfman LLC | Summit Law Group, PLLC |
| Hausfeld LLP | Moye White LLP | Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP |
| Ivins, Phillips & Barker | Much Shelist PC | ZwillGen PLLC |
| Keesal, Young & Logan | Murphy & McGonigle | |
| Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. | Osha Bergman Watanabe & Burton LLP |
Midsize Mansfield Rule — Participating Firms 2021-2023
The firms joining our second cohort of the Midsize Mansfield Rule include:
| Baird Holm LLP | Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP | Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs LLP |
| Barton Gilman LLP | Hartline Barger LLP | Phillips Murrah PC |
| Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. | Higgs Fletcher & Mack | Phillips Nizer LLP |
| Buckley LLP | Hinckley Allen | Plunkett Cooney |
| Burns White | Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas, LLP | Prince Lobel |
| Cantor Colburn LLP | Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. | Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP |
| CDF Labor Law | Irwin Fritchie Urquhart and Moore LLC | Roig Lawyers |
| Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP | Jackson Kelly PLLC | Sands Anderson PC |
| Collins + Collins | Klarquist Sparkman, LLP | Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C. |
| Collins Einhorn Farrell PC | Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP | Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC |
| Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP | Lewis Thomason, P.C. | Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner |
| Davis+Gilbert LLP | Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC | Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, PLC |
| Degan, Blanchard & Nash | Marks O’Neill O’Brien Doherty & Kelly | Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP |
| Dority & Manning, P.A. | Maslon LLP | Smith Anderson |
| Farella Braun + Martel LLP | McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips | Stark & Stark |
| Finn, Dixon & Herling LLP | McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP | Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. |
| Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP | McGinnis Lochridge LLP | Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers |
| Foley & Mansfield, PLLP | McGivney, Kluger, Clark & Intoccia, P.C. | Tiber Hudson LLC |
| Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC | McGlinchey Stafford | Waldon Adelman Castilla Hiestand & Prout, LLP |
| Genova Burns LLC | Meagher & Geer | Walsworth |
| Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. | Messner Reeves | Winget, Spadafora & Schwartzberg, LLP |
| Hahn Loeser & Parks | Miller & Chevalier Chartered | Wolf Greenfield & Sacks |
| Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. | Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads, LLP | Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP |
| Hancock Daniel & Johnson, P.C. | Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP | |
| Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C. | O’Hagan Meyer |
If your firm is interested in learning more about the Midsize Mansfield Rule, please contact Alyssa Jarvis at alyssa@diversitylab.com. Info Sessions will be available in the fall of 2021.