Pearne & Gordon is proud to achieve the Mansfield Certification awarded by Diversity Lab. The Mansfield Rule is a structured certification process designed to ensure all talent at participating law firms has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership. Specifically, it measures the structural changes and steps our firm has taken to ensure our paths to leadership are open and transparent to all qualified lawyers.

We’ve undergone this effort alongside other top-tier midsize firms across the country. Like them, we remain dedicated to opening the door wider to all qualified lawyers and are committed to considering at least 30% individuals historically underrepresented in law for promotion or new positions – which includes women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities.

Why It Matters to Our Firm & Clients.

Mansfield’s processes seek to ensure equal opportunity and access to leadership roles. The focus is on opening the door wider and providing opportunities for advancement that are inclusive for everyone. Having a diverse partnership involved in firm leadership and providing guidance for our associates and staff yields a variety of perspectives and approaches and has facilitated an open-door policy for ideas that benefit our clients.

The Mansfield Rule in Practice.

When deciding who to appoint or elect to leadership roles, our firm’s principals consider a broad pipeline of talent, including lawyers historically underrepresented in law. The same inclusive decision-making process occurs when we build client pitch teams.

Rather than excluding, the process ensures that the talent pipeline includes additional qualified talent. The Mansfield framework helps us take an inclusive, structured, and data-driven approach to leadership advancement—and ensure consistency across our practice groups—and intentional practice that benefits everyone.