Shipman & Goodwin Commits to Mansfield Rule 3.0 to Support Diversity and Inclusion
August 2, 2019
Shipman & Goodwin LLP, marking its centennial year, today announced that the firm is participating in Mansfield Rule 3.0 to support diversity and inclusion within the firm. The firm is one of 98 law firms nationwide to participate in Mansfield 3.0 and one of 23 law firms with fewer than 200 attorneys in the country to commit to Mansfield.
The Mansfield Rule 3.0 year-long certification process requires law firms to affirmatively consider at least 30 percent women, minority, LGBTQ+ and disabled attorneys (“historically underrepresented lawyers”) for significant governance roles, senior lateral openings, equity partner promotions, and formal client pitches and RFP responses.
"Participation in Mansfield Rule 3.0 aligns with our core values, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and ensures that the firm is being consistently and consciously inclusive when making hiring, promotion and other critical organizational and business decisions," said Alan E. Lieberman, managing partner. "We are pleased to be taking part in this initiative."
The Mansfield Rule was one of the winning ideas from the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon hosted by Diversity Lab. It was inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule, a policy that requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach vacancies, and is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman to be admitted to practice law in the United States.
The firm will complete regular check-in surveys and data collection requests and engage in community building and knowledge sharing with other participating law firms, with the goal to become Mansfield certified in July 2020.
Through its Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Shipman & Goodwin supports ongoing initiatives to recruit, develop and retain a diverse team of attorneys and staff, sponsor organizations and develop events that share perspectives and raise awareness of issues related to diversity and inclusion facing organizations and the community.