Seyfarth Renews Commitment to Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule in 2022

(August 16, 2022) -- As part of Seyfarth’s commitment to inclusion and diversity and its focus on continuous improvement in this area, the firm announced today that it has signed up to participate in the 6.0 iteration of Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule, which runs from July 2022 to July 2023.

Mansfield Rule 6.0 certification requires participating firms to consider at least 30 percent historically underrepresented lawyers –women lawyers, racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities –when appointing, electing, or promoting into leadership roles and the equity partnership, among a dozen other activities that focus on the path to leadership. They must also consider 30% underrepresented talent for all C-suite roles.

Named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States, the Mansfield Rule is a variation of the NFL’s “Rooney Rule.” 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.

Piloting the Mansfield Rule since its 2017 inception, Seyfarth joins other “early adopter” firms that have increased the racial and ethnic diversity of its management committees by 30 times the rate of non-Mansfield Rule firms. Notably, over 70 percent of Seyfarth’s executive committee are lawyers from underrepresented groups.

“As an original Mansfield Rule adopter, Seyfarth values certification as a key benchmark and true compass on our continuous journey to becoming a more inclusive workplace. We’re ready to begin another year as an active participant in this critical program for the industry,” said Kori Carew, Seyfarth’s chief inclusion & diversity officer.

A recognized industry leader in law firm inclusion and diversity, Seyfarth has instituted several award-winning programs designed to cultivate and retain underrepresented groups. The firm launched its own “Rooney Presumption” initiative in 2016 which, inspired by the NFL, has helped improve the hiring of diverse candidates across the firm. To learn more about Seyfarth’s commitment to inclusion and belonging, visit here. 

The Mansfield Rule was one of the winning ideas from the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon. Seyfarth was an active participant in the Hackathon which was hosted by Diversity Lab in collaboration with Bloomberg Law and Stanford Law School. Diversity Lab creates and experiments with innovative ways to close the gender gap and boost diversity in law firms and legal departments by leveraging data, behavioral science, and design thinking. To learn more about Mansfield Rule 6.0 click here.