PHILADELPHIA, May 13, 2020—Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce it is participating in the industrywide Mansfield 4.0 (Mansfield 2021) certification program alongside other top law firms across the country. Duane Morris will consider women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ attorneys and/or attorneys with disabilities for at least 30 percent of its leadership and governance roles, senior lateral positions, equity partner promotions and more.
“The firm’s participation in the Mansfield Rule demonstrates our commitment to being a diverse and inclusive law firm,” said Matthew A. Taylor, CEO and Chairman of Duane Morris. “Diversity and inclusion are at the core of our strategic plan because it’s the right thing to do and because diverse and inclusive teams offer more sophisticated, creative solutions for our clients.”
“It is essential—now more than ever in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn—to treat diversity as a business imperative,” said Joseph K. West, Duane Morris partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “We are committed to the success of our diverse lawyers, and the Mansfield Rule is one more tool to help us manage our talent pipeline to ensure our firm’s leadership reflects the diversity of our clients and our clients’ customers.”
Inspired by the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” the Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have considered historically underrepresented lawyers for significant governance roles, lateral openings and promotions. The Mansfield Rule is named for Arabella Mansfield, the first woman lawyer admitted to the practice of law in the United States. The rule is one of the winning ideas of the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon, hosted by Stanford Law School.
The certification period will run from July 2020 to July 2021. Firms that achieve Mansfield Certification have the opportunity to send their newly promoted partners from underrepresented groups to one of four client forums to meet and learn from senior in-house counsel in a structured, small-group networking format.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 800 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries.