Erise is proud to announce it has achieved Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification for 2022-23. The Mansfield Rule – named for the first woman lawyer in the United States, Arabella Mansfield – is a structured certification process designed to ensure all talent at participating law firms has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership.
The Mansfield Rule does not exclude any talent from consideration for opportunities at any participating law firms. Instead, the rule seeks to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in leadership by broadening the pool of diverse lawyers who are considered for entry-level and lateral attorney job openings, leadership opportunities, equity partner promotions, and opportunities to connect with clients.
To become Mansfield Midsize Certified, firms with fewer than 150 lawyers were asked to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers for leadership roles and activities over an 18-month period, including:
- Equity partner promotions
- Election or appointment to Managing Partner/Chairperson
- Election or appointment to other high-level firm governance positions, including Practice Group Leader or Committee Chair
- Participation in formal client pitches and formal client business meetings
- All lawyer and senior professional staff hiring
- Transparent job responsibilities for governance roles and processes for appointments/elections
While fewer than a quarter of law firm equity partners nationwide are women, according to a Law360 survey, Erise’s equity shareholder ranks are 50/50 gender diverse. This ratio has led to Erise being recognized two years in a row among Law360’s “Ceiling Smashers,” law firms with the best representation of women in leadership.