SAN FRANCISCO, August 20, 2018: The Diversity Lab has recognized Morgan Lewis with its inaugural Mansfield Rule Certification as one of 41 “trailblazing firms” that demonstrated meaningful progress in creating diverse leadership teams and developing diverse pipelines to leadership.
The Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women and lawyers of color for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and senior lateral positions. The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities.
“As an early adopter of the principles behind the Mansfield Rule, we’re thrilled to see such a widespread commitment to increasing diverse and women leaders throughout the legal industry,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “We believe in the power of diverse teams and leadership, which is evident by the makeup of our senior leaders, and we have seen time and again the benefits that diversity of thought brings to our firm, to our clients, and to our communities.”
Morgan Lewis was among the law firms that last year participated in the Mansfield Rule pilot program. On the heels of the successful inaugural year, the Diversity Lab has launched the Mansfield Rule 2.0, which now includes LGBTQ+ lawyers along with women and lawyers of color as part of candidate pools. Mansfield 2.0, which Morgan Lewis has committed to upholding, will also measure consideration for roles in client pitch meetings and will ask participating law firms to make appointment and election processes transparent to all lawyers at their firms.
For more information, please see the Diversity Lab’s press release.