Diversity Lab has announced that Norton Rose Fulbright has met Mansfield Rule Certification 2.0 and Mansfield Certification Plus status, formulas that measure a law firm's success in promoting underrepresented lawyers and considering them for promotion to leadership and other key positions.
Mansfield Rule Certification 2.0 measures whether law firms have 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 Mansfield Rule's aim is to increase representation of underrepresented lawyers in leadership by increasing the candidate pool for these posts.
This Mansfield Certification Plus status means that in addition to meeting or exceeding the pipeline consideration requirements for Mansfield Rule 2.0 Certification, Norton Rose Fulbright successfully attained at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in a noteworthy number of leadership roles and committees.
Lisa Kirby, Diversity Labs Chief Intelligence & Knowledge Sharing Officer, said:
"We measure results each year and work with participating firms to iterate the pilot based on the results to ensure we are moving toward our goal of diversifying law firm leadership as inclusively and impactfully as possible. It's especially meaningful to lead this initiative this year because it marks the 150th anniversary of Arabella Mansfield's becoming the first woman admitted to a US bar association."
Norton Rose Fulbright also was among the firms to agree to work and achieve Mansfield Rule Certification 3.0 in 2020, a higher bar that would add lawyers with disabilities to the underrepresented lawyers in the diverse candidate pool.