The Legal Department Edition of the Mansfield Rule is Here
/A highly anticipated and much-needed adaptation of the Mansfield Rule is bringing diversity in-house
The law profession is not popularly known for its progressive stance on diversity in the workplace. Despite industry-wide conversation about improving diversity ratios, the legal field has spent a considerable amount of time as one of the least diverse of any industry.
Thankfully, after years of passionate albeit largely unproductive conversation, the tables are finally turning in a groundbreaking way. Barriers are coming down, and women and minorities are finally being presented with the opportunities they have long deserved. A major step happened two years ago, when the Mansfield Rule was born.
What is the Mansfield Rule?
In 2016, Diversity Lab partnered with Bloomberg Law and Stanford Law School to produce an event called the Women in Law Hackathon. It was there that the Mansfield Rule, an idea named after Arabella Mansfield—the very first woman allowed to practice law in the U.S.—was created.
This new diversity and inclusion strategy was fashioned after the National Football League’s diversity initiative, the Rooney Rule, which required NFL teams to interview at least one minority or female candidate for head coaching and general manager positions. After implementation, the number of minorities hired to fill these high-level positions doubled.
The Mansfield Rule was created by leveraging the lessons learned from the NFL. The rule required that at least 30 percent of the candidates being considered for leadership and board positions within subscribing law firms come from diverse backgrounds. This includes women, racial and ethnic minorities, and lawyers with disabilities.
In July of 2018, Mansfield 2.0, the second iteration of the initiative, was launched and included LGBTQ+ lawyers, in addition to women and minorities. After the initiative’s pilot inaugural year, over 40 law firms became “Mansfield Certified” and, according to Diversity Lab, those firms saw a 40 percent increase of diversity in leadership roles.
What is Mansfield Rule: Legal Department Edition?
Today, the Mansfield Rule is no longer just for law firms. In April 2019, the Diversity Lab launched the Mansfield Rule: Legal Department Edition—and it’s even more rigorous than the version created for law firms.
This rule requires participating in-house legal departments to consider at least 50 percent women, racial and ethnic minorities, lawyers with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ lawyers for key leadership and board roles. Furthermore, the companies that sign on are also being asked to consider at least 50 percent women and diverse lawyers for outside counsel roles, as well.
The certification process for the legal department edition will begin on July 1, 2019, and there are already eight early adopters that have signed on to pilot this program. Those organizations are MassMutual, BASF Corp, Compass Minerals, LendingClub, PayPal, Symantec Corp., ThredUP, and U.S. Bank.
What does this mean for the legal profession?
The advent of The Mansfield Rule for both law firms and in-house legal teams is long overdue and quite possibly the turning point between pointing fingers and flapping gums, and actually being held accountable for walking the diversity talk.
The law firms that have adopted the Mansfield Rule’s original version, as well as the early adopters of the legal department edition, are trailblazing what it means to act on what has historically been a stagnant yet vital issue.
Finally, the industry is gaining momentum on diversity. The promotion of inclusivity is no longer just a conversation, rather concrete steps based on a solid understanding that diversifying the legal profession can bring real benefits to the industry. Having leaders from a host of different backgrounds can create higher levels of innovation while attracting and promoting a broader pool of talent.
We’re seeing more and more of these positive impacts as firms and in-house teams adopt the Mansfield Rule and other inclusivity initiatives. And we can’t wait to see more!
Carrington Legal Search is a woman-owned business that is dedicated to providing a diverse slate of candidates for every search that we are engaged to handle. To help you meet your diversity goals, contact us at carrie@carringtonlegal.com or 512.627.7467.