Hahn Loeser is proud to announce that it earned Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification Plus recognition for the first time from Diversity Lab. Previously, HLP had earned Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification from 2021-2023.
Mansfield is a year-long structured certification process designed to ensure all qualified talent at participating law firms have a fair and equal opportunity to be considered for advancement into leadership roles. The focus is on “opening the door wider” and ensuring that opportunities for advancement are transparent and inclusive for everyone. Mansfield expands opportunities, fostering growth without imposing limitations. Certification Plus is a designation reserved for firms that voluntarily report the outcomes of their inclusive processes.
“Hahn Loeser has consistently found that expanding the talent pool to include diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints enables us to make better-informed decisions and strengthens our overall effectiveness for our clients,” said Partner E. Sean Medina, chair of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “Our Mansfield team has worked incredibly hard this past year to achieve this milestone. I want to thank the Board and our CEO Stan Gorom for their continued support, the D&I Committee for its hard work, and each team member that assisted with the tracking of different metrics required by Diversity Lab.”
Mansfield’s certification requirements grow increasingly challenging each year as firms must consistently recommit to core principles of transparency, accountability, and knowledge sharing, including:
- Contributing to monthly group knowledge-sharing meetings and attending expert-led legal workshops to ensure the lawful implementation of Mansfield’s principles.
- Drafting and making advancement processes and leadership role descriptions transparent and accessible to all lawyers.
- Broadening the pool of talent considered for dozens of leadership roles and activities, with at least 30% of lawyers considered consisting of underrepresented lawyers across 75% of opportunities.
- Engaging in individual firm check-ins at the six-month mark to support the adoption of legal and effective processes.
- Submitting certification data, transparent processes, and a signed affirmation from the managing partner at the end of each certification year.
The Mansfield™ Rule is named after trailblazer Arabella Mansfield, who became the first woman attorney in the U.S. in 1869. The goal of the Mansfield™ Rule is to increase representation of historically underrepresented attorneys in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities.
For more information about Hahn Loeser’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, click here.
About Diversity Lab
Diversity Lab is an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law. Experimental ideas are created through its hackathons and piloted in collaboration with more than 300 top law firms and legal departments across the country. The organization leverages data, behavioral science, design thinking, and technology to further develop and test the ideas, measure the results, and share the lessons learned. Visit here for more information.
