Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, achieved Mansfield Certified Plus status for 2019 after completing the Mansfield Rule 2.0 12-month certification program.
The Mansfield Rule Certification 2.0 measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women, lawyers of color and LGBTQ+ lawyers for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities and senior lateral positions. The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities.
In addition, Dentons achieved Mansfield Certified Plus status. “Plus” status indicates that, beyond meeting or exceeding the pipeline consideration requirements for certification, Dentons successfully reached at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of its current leadership roles and committees. The Firm committed to participate in the next round of certification, Mansfield 3.0, which runs from July 2019 to July 2020, and is expanded to include lawyers with disabilities as well as women, lawyers of color and LGBTQ+ lawyers as part of the diverse candidate pool.
“The legal industry still has work ahead to be fully representative of the rich diversity of our profession,” said US CEO Mike McNamara. “We applaud Diversity Lab for their outstanding efforts toward this goal and their forbearance in continuing to motivate the legal industry to positive change. We are thrilled to be a part of this program.”
Dentons signed on to pilot the Diversity Lab's inaugural version of the Mansfield Rule, beginning in summer 2017. The Mansfield Rule is an initiative aimed at boosting diversity in leadership ranks within law firms. Named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States, it measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women and minority lawyers—at least 30 percent of the candidate pool—for promotions, senior-level hiring and significant leadership roles in the firm.