Overview
(October 10, 2023, Washington, DC) – Steptoe is pleased to announce that it has achieved 2022-2023 Mansfield Certification. 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. Mansfield is focused on broadening the talent pool for consideration, including those historically underrepresented in the legal profession, to facilitate transparent pathways to leadership.
To achieve Mansfield Certification, these firms have implemented a behavioral science and data-driven approach—designed by Diversity Lab in collaboration with talent experts, data scientists, and lawyers—to help increase diversity in leadership. Focused on opening the door wider and ensuring that opportunities are inclusive, certified firms considered broad slates of qualified talent for leadership roles that included at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers—such as women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities. In addition, as part of the Certification process, these firms have worked hard to enhance the transparency of their leadership roles, advancement processes, and compensation policies.
Mansfield’s methodology, which has proven to build more diverse leadership teams, is rooted in changes to systems and processes, not exclusivity or discrimination. Mansfield ensures that opportunities for advancement are inclusive by broadening talent pools instead of instilling quotas, set-asides, or requirements unrelated to an individual’s qualifications.
View the full list of firms that received 2022-2023 Mansfield Certification.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.