Brinks Gilson & Lione achieves Mansfield Certification Plus for diversity and inclusion efforts

Brinks Gilson & Lione announced that through its participation in the Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule Pilot Program 1.0, the firm has achieved Mansfield Rule Certification and Certification Plus status.

Diversity Lab bestowed the accreditation as part of its Mansfield Rule Pilot Program 1.0 aimed at increasing diversity among leadership in law firms. Brinks participated in the initiative along with more than 40 other top law firms. The program was also supported by the legal departments of many U.S. and international corporations.

Inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule, the Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women and minority lawyers – at least 30% of the candidate pool – for significant leadership and governance roles, as well as in partnership promotions and lateral hiring.

Firms tracked their metrics and reviewed the data at the end of the yearlong process, which began in the summer of 2017, and firms that successfully met standards and considered diverse attorneys for 70% or more of their leadership committees and roles that exist at the firm, qualified to become Mansfield Rule Certified. Firms that achieved Mansfield Rule Certification also have the opportunity to provide data on their current diversity representation in leadership during the data collection period.

Brinks achieved its status by exceeding the initiative’s certification standards and not only considering at least 30% of diverse candidates for leadership positions and senior level recruiting over the past year, but by also having representation of 30% diverse attorneys in more than half of the firm’s key leadership positions.