Littler Mendelson PC issued the following announcement on Sept. 14.
Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has earned Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certification for the fourth time, following a 12-month collaboration with Diversity Lab. The firm also achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status for the fourth consecutive year, which indicates that, in addition to meeting or exceeding the baseline certification requirements, the firm has successfully reached at least 30% underrepresented lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles.
“Earning the Mansfield Certification from Diversity Lab reinforces Littler’s commitment to promoting inclusion, equity and diversity, not only at our firm, but also across the legal industry,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s managing director and president. “Inclusion, equity and diversity are core principles at Littler and we continue to focus on providing meaningful and impactful programs to advance diverse attorneys, which include our award-winning Career Advocacy Program and newest initiative, Breaking Through. We’re proud of our progress, but we know there is still work to be done to keep moving the needle.”
The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities. The Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30% women, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities and senior lateral positions.
Littler was one of nearly 50 firms to pilot the inaugural version of the Mansfield Rule, which was one of the winning ideas from the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon hosted by Diversity Lab in collaboration with Bloomberg Law and Stanford Law School. Littler Shareholder Nina Markey was part of the team that pitched the initial concept.
"We are thrilled to celebrate these firms that have worked so tirelessly to implement the Mansfield Rule principles and create inclusive workplaces where every lawyer has the ability to thrive and the opportunity to lead,” said Natalia Marulanda, Mansfield Rule Director at Diversity Lab. “Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, the Mansfield Rule certified firms have not deviated from their goal of ensuring that law firm leadership reflects the rich diversity of the profession. We are enormously proud to work with such a committed group of firms."
Over the past year, Littler’s culture of inclusion, equity and diversity has garnered numerous recognitions. The firm continues to be ranked as a top firm for diversity by organizations such as The American Lawyer, Law360, The National Law Journal and Vault. Additionally, Litter earned Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, was named one of the “Best Law Firms for Women” for the 12th time by Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media) and received a perfect rating of 100% for the 13th consecutive year in the 2021 Corporate Equality Index.
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