United States: Hunton Andrews Kurth Achieves Mansfield Rule™ Certified Plus Status
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is proud to announce that it has achieved Mansfield Rule™ Certified Plus 2020 after completing Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule certification process. The Mansfield Rule measures law firms’ efforts to increase representation and inclusion of diverse lawyers and is named for Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States — 150 years ago.
The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities. The Mansfield Rule Certification program measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent 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.
As a recognized diversity leader in the legal industry, Hunton Andrews Kurth was recently shortlisted in the 2020 Chambers and Partners USA Diversity & Inclusion Awards as an Outstanding Firm for Furthering Diversity and Inclusion.
“Hunton Andrews Kurth has long promoted a diverse and inclusive professional community, prior to taking part in the Mansfield Rule Certification Plus process. In fact, the firm’s diversity and inclusion core values, go beyond the existing Mansfield Rule requirements; however, Mansfield Rule serves as an additional benchmark, in terms of the importance of taking diversity into our decision making process,” said partner Gus Membiela, who co-chairs the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee with partners Todd Brown, Shemin V. Proctor and Emily Burkhardt Vicente.
Diversity Lab is an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law. Experimental ideas – such as the OnRamp Fellowship and the Mansfield Rule – are created through our Hackathons and piloted in collaboration with more than 100 top law firms and legal departments across the country. Diversity Lab leverages data, behavioral science, design thinking, and technology to further develop and test new ideas and research, measure the results, and share the lessons learned.