Schiff Hardin Achieves Mansfield Certified Plus Status for Diversity

As one of only 65 firms to pilot the Mansfield Rule 2.0 program, the firm exceeded the consideration requirements for certification to achieve “Plus” status, which indicates success in reaching at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of leadership and committee roles. 

Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule identifies metrics to determine whether at least 30 percent of candidates for 70 percent of firm promotions, senior-level positions, and leadership roles include women, LGBTQ+, and minority lawyers. To achieve Certified Plus status, Schiff had considered at least 30 percent women and minorities for leadership positions and senior-level recruiting over the past year, as well as achieved representation of at least 30 percent women and minorities in a large number of key leadership roles and with lateral hires.

“While the firm was already satisfying many of the Mansfield qualifications, this process instills more accountability and discipline in our efforts to ensure that diversity remains a critical component of our hiring and advancement decisions,” said Diversity Committee Co-Chair Chris McGuinness.

Schiff has committed to participating in the Mansfield Rule 3.0 program, which for the next reporting cycle will include attorneys with disabilities, as well as women, lawyers of color, and LGTBQ+ lawyers as part of the diverse candidate pool.

Named for Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States, the Mansfield Rule came out of Diversity Lab’s inaugural 2016 Women in Law Hackathon, a national competition which brought in-house and private practice lawyers together to brainstorm solutions to law firm diversity challenges.