Wilson Elser has achieved Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus, which confirms achievement of 30 percent representation of underrepresented lawyers in many of the program’s designated categories.
“This is our first year participating in certification, and achieving the Plus Certification is a huge accomplishment,” said Wilson Elser Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair Angela Russell. “It demonstrates the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion across all leadership levels, and is consistent with the firm’s strategic goal to increase representation and opportunities for those from diverse backgrounds and women lawyers.” Carolyn O’Connor, Wilson Elser’s Chair of Women Attorneys Valued & Empowered (WAVE) added, “Mansfield Certification Plus is a well-deserved recognition of the ways Wilson Elser supports its women attorneys through the WAVE initiative. I couldn’t be prouder of this moment in the firm’s history and look forward to celebrating our continued support for its women attorneys through Mansfield certifications in the future.”
Mansfield Certification is the standard by which law firms measure their progress toward recruiting and retaining women lawyers, lawyers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, lawyers with disabilities and LGBTQ+ lawyers. Sixty large law firms, including 49 firms seeking first-time certification, in the United States and Canada, participated in the Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification process for 2022, which launched in July 2021. The one-year certification process is administered by Diversity Lab.
Declaring that the firm has committed to participate in Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification, Wilson Elser Chair Dan McMahon reflects the feelings of the entire firm: “Diversity & Inclusion is a firm foundational value that is critical to our success. Achieving this certification confirms Wilson Elser’s ongoing efforts to mirror the diversity of our clients and of the communities in which we practice.”
New for Mansfield 5.0, firms were required to:
- Track their candidate pools in a disaggregated manner, prompting them to measure the impact of the Mansfield Rule according to each underrepresented group.
- Consider 30 percent underrepresented individuals when hiring and promoting for C-level or other senior-level professional staff roles.
