Dorsey Receives Mansfield Rule Certification Plus

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- International law firm Dorsey & Whitney announced today it is one of only 27 law firms to have achieved Mansfield Certification Plus after completing, along with 40 other trailblazing firms, the inaugural one-year Mansfield Rule pilot.

The Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women and attorneys of color for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and senior lateral positions. 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.

Dorsey's "Plus" status indicates that, in addition to meeting or exceeding the pipeline consideration requirements for Certification, Dorsey has successfully reached at least 30 percent women and minority lawyer representation in a notable number of its current leadership roles and committees.

To achieve the Mansfield Rule objectives, participating law firms had to first establish a baseline metric by which they could assess and analyze their talent pipelines. To that end, as part of the Mansfield Rule Certification process, the firms were expected to create and adopt documentation and tracking norms to measure their progress and identify areas for improvement.

Dorsey will participate in Diversity Lab's 2.0 iteration of the Mansfield Rule, which runs from July 2018 to July 2019, with 65 law firms. Mansfield 2.0 will include LGBTQ+ lawyers as well as women and attorneys of color as part of the diverse candidate pool. Also new, in addition to leadership role appointments and lateral hiring, Mansfield 2.0 will also measure consideration for roles in client pitch meetings and will ask participating law firms to make appointment and election processes transparent to all lawyers in their firms.

"We are honored to have achieved Mansfield Certification Plus along with a number of other notable firms," said Ken Cutler, Dorsey's Managing Partner. "We look forward to participating in Mansfield 2.0 to continue to promote diversity and inclusion in our Firm. Dorsey understands the value of an inclusive and diverse work environment. One of our greatest strengths is a culture that respects the individual and is knit together by our core values of colleagues, community and clients. As we continue to encourage diversity and remove barriers, we know that Dorsey is a better place to work and that our clients benefit from the increased efficiency, higher morale and greater productivity of our client teams."

For more information on the Mansfield Rule, see Diversity Lab's news release.

About Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Clients have relied on Dorsey since 1912 as a valued business partner. With locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, Dorsey provides an integrated, proactive approach to its clients' legal and business needs. Dorsey represents a number of the world's most successful companies from a wide range of industries, including leaders in the banking, energy, food and agribusiness, health care, mining and natural resources, and public-private project development sectors, as well as major non-profit and government entities.

About Diversity Lab
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.

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SOURCE Dorsey & Whitney LLP