Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP issued the following announcement on July 7.
Troutman Pepper has joined 116 law firms in seeking certification under the latest iteration of the Mansfield Rule, which aims to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for such opportunities.
“Diversity and inclusion are core values at Troutman Pepper,” said Partner Holly Hill, the firm’s chief diversity officer. “As a firm, we’re committed to recruiting and hiring diverse lawyers and to their development, promotion, and inclusion at Troutman Pepper. The Mansfield Rule is a critical barometer of our efforts.”
Named for the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States, the Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30% women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. Firms are audited bi-annually and certified annually as they follow, comply, and achieve the Rules’ requirements.
“We fully embrace the principles of the Mansfield Rule and have even expanded the requirements to other aspects of our firm, such as all recruiting and all committees,” said Partner Kassem Lucas, chair of Troutman Pepper’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “We are encouraged by the record number of firms that signed on to pursue Mansfield Rule 4.0 certification and remain dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion both within our firm and the greater industry.”
Troutman Pepper has a goal to be 3.0 and 3.0 Plus certified later this year. Mansfield-certified firms made significant progress in diversifying, following adoption of the Mansfield Rule 3.0, specifically:
94% of participating firms reported that their candidate pool for pitch teams was more diverse following the adoption of the Mansfield Rule;
79% of firms reported that their lateral partner hiring pool was more diverse, and 76% said their equity partner promotions pool was more diverse;
92% of firms reported an increase in formal diversity discussions regarding succession planning for leadership and governance roles, and 85% increased formal discussions for lateral partner hiring;
57% of participating firms elected or appointed a higher percentage of diverse lawyers into Office Managing Partner roles; and
Prior to participating in the Mansfield Rule, only 12% of firms tracked their candidates for leadership roles and 25% tracked their candidates for lateral partner hiring; now, 100% are tracking these candidate pools.
Original source can be found here.