Mansfield Certification

Mansfield Certification ensures a fair and equal opportunity for all lawyers to advance into leadership.

Mansfield focuses on equal treatment, equal opportunity, and equal access.

The Mansfield Difference

The Mansfield Rule was inspired by a winning idea at Diversity Lab’s 2016 Women in Law Hackathon.

Mansfield is a structured certification process designed to ensure all talent at participating law firms and legal departments has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership. This science-backed and data-driven inclusive sourcing process helps boost inclusivity, equal access, and transparency in advancement processes and leadership roles at participating organizations. To maintain its effectiveness, the certification standards continue to evolve year-over-year based on data-backed insights.

A US Federal Court affirmed in a recent decision that Mansfield is lawful and aligned with anti-discrimination laws. Though Mansfield was not at issue in the suit, we appreciate that the Court took the time to understand and explain how Mansfield functions and resoundingly affirmed that it’s fully aligned with anti-discrimination laws. In the opinion, the Court confirmed: “the Mansfield Rule expressly does not establish any hiring quotas or other illegally discriminatory practices, requiring only that participating law firms consider attorneys from diverse backgrounds for certain positions.”

Mansfield is an inclusive sourcing process, not a diverse slate policy. Mansfield asks organizations to track and measure more than a dozen leadership roles and activities across an entire year and ask: “Across all of these opportunities in the aggregate over 12 months, did we expand and consider a broader pool of qualified talent – including at least 30% qualified underrepresented talent out of the unlimited number of people considered – before determining final slates or making selection or promotion decisions?” Mansfield doesn’t dictate or require that underrepresented talent be “slated” or selected for any given leadership role or activity, nor does it result in any person being excluded from consideration based on race, gender, or any other demographics.

Mansfield is still a legal and an important inclusion effort because it:

Writes the Unwritten Rules: Mansfield asks organizations to make all advancement processes and practices transparent and accessible to ensure everyone is aware of how pathways to leadership decisions are determined.
Focuses on Consideration, Not Slates or Selection Outcomes: Mansfield focuses on opening the door wider by expanding and considering a broader pool of qualified talent for all leadership roles and activities. Mansfield operates at the top of the talent sourcing funnel, often called “inclusive sourcing.” Mansfield asks only that qualified talent be considered, not slated or selected. Mansfield does not, explicitly or implicitly, ask employers or their decision-makers to make any selection or employment decision because of a demographic trait. As always, employment and advancement decisions remain outside of the scope of Mansfield and should be based solely on merit.
Roots Out Discrimination by Expanding – Not Restricting – Opportunities: Mansfield doesn’t limit the number of talented individuals considered. Instead, it’s additive – it asks that all qualified talent, regardless of background, have a fair and equal chance to be considered based on excellence and merits. There are no set-asides or quotas. It’s not a “zero-sum” situation where opportunities are given to some and taken from others (which is what Chief Justice Roberts warned against in the Students for Fair Admissions ruling on affirmative action in higher education).
Measures the Aggregate Pipeline to Leadership, Not One Role: Mansfield asks organizations to track and measure the pipeline to over a dozen roles and activities throughout the year, in the aggregate, to assess the overall health of the talent pool. This effort is focused on tracking and expanding the talent pipeline across the organization over time, not one role at a single point in time. Thus, organizations can still certify even if they do not expand the pool of qualified talent for each role or activity.

Impact Highlights

94%

of participating large law firms broadened the pool of talent considered for client pitch teams.

85%

of large law firms increased discussions around lateral partner hiring inclusivity.

84%

of Mansfield legal departments now have transparent internal advancement processes as a result of Certification.

75%

of Mansfield legal departments now track internal talent pools for promotion because of Mansfield.

Purpose

Mansfield helps ensure that all talent has an equal opportunity to advance into leadership through transparency and an intentional fairness-based decision-making process informed by behavioral science.

Process

Mansfield increases transparency and intentionality around law firm and legal department leadership and advancement processes. This openness benefits everyone.

Firms and legal departments commit to expanding their talent pools for all leadership opportunities.

Step 1

To achieve Mansfield Certification, law firms and legal departments increase transparency and clarity regarding opportunities. They articulate and internally publish job descriptions, expectations, and promotional paths. This greater transparency helps level the playing field for all.

Step 2

Firms and legal departments engage in Knowledge Sharing throughout the certification process, a crucial part of Mansfield. Research shows that working in a group is a better way to stay on track toward a larger goal because it creates peer group and third-party accountability.

Step 3

Firms and legal departments complete a series of check-ins with Diversity Lab to ensure they are on track to achieve Certification.

Step 4

At the end of the Certification period, firms and legal departments are required to submit an online Certification form that is signed by their managing partner or general counsel.

Step 5

As the Certification period ends, a new one begins. Firms and legal departments renew their participation in Mansfield year-over-year to ensure long-term fairness and inclusive cultures at their organizations.

Step 6

Proof

Leadership Pipeline Tracking and Transparency: Prior to adopting the Mansfield Rule, only 12% of participating law firms tracked the demographic diversity of their leadership pipelines. Now, 100% of participating firms track who’s coming up through the ranks and whether they are all fairly considered for leadership activities and roles. Similarly, in participating legal departments, to ensure equal access for everyone:

91% now track internal talent pools for discretionary high-visibility opportunities
75% track internal talent pools for promotions
60% track outside counsel team leadership for new matters with law firms
More than 80% have transparent internal job responsibilities and advancement processes for leadership

Expanded Talent Pools on the Path to Leadership: The vast majority of participating law firms have reported broader talent pools are being considered for opportunities that impact leadership:

94% for client pitch teams
79% for lateral partner hiring
76% for equity partner promotions

Diversity in Leadership: Due to these improved talent practices, law firms that have been consistently Mansfield certified for over five years outpace non-Mansfield firms in creating inclusive cultures and diversifying their executive committees and equity partnerships. Learn more in this article, “Data Shows Mansfield Firms Are Adding Diverse Leaders Much Faster,” published by two data science academics.

For additional details on Mansfield’s quantitative and qualitative outcomes, see our Mansfield DEI resources.

Participants

More than 275 US, Canadian, and UK law firms and legal departments have committed to the 2025-26 certification process, including several new organizations that have joined the Mansfield community for the first time.

We are extraordinarily proud of the organizations that are continuing their unwavering commitment to Mansfield’s principles. This is a powerful testament to the legal profession’s dedication to advancing transparency and opportunity for all.

If you are wondering about a particular firm’s or legal department’s involvement, we encourage you to ask them directly.