Thompson Coburn Achieves Mansfield Rule 6.0 ‘Certified Plus’ Designation

Thompson Coburn has again achieved Mansfield Certification "Plus" status, putting it in a top-tier class of law firms committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in leadership.

Thompson Coburn is one of 240 law firms in the U.S. and Canada certified under the Mansfield Rule 6.0 this year, a national initiative to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for roles and opportunities. The certified firms completed a rigorous 12-month collaboration with Diversity Lab with built-in measurement, transparency, and accountability.

The Mansfield Rule has become the standard by which law firms measure the structural changes and steps taken over the past year to ensure paths to leadership—including lateral hiring, client pitch teams, promotions, appointments, and more—are open and transparent to all qualified lawyers. Mansfield’s processes seek to ensure equal opportunity and access to leadership roles. The focus is on opening the door wider and ensuring that opportunities for advancement are inclusive for everyone.  Thompson Coburn’s status as a Mansfield Certification "Plus" organization signifies that not only has the Firm taken steps to increase inclusivity in leadership, it has made measured progress in that area. Only half of the certified firm’s achieved the “Plus” designation.

“With a leadership team that reflects the diversity of our communities, we can make decisions that best reflect the needs of our talent and our clients,” said Norma Jackson, Thompson Coburn’s Chief Diversity & Attorney Development Officer.  “I look forward to continuing to build on the positive change we have experienced through the Mansfield Rule Certification.”

Jackson is also an advisory board member for Diversity Lab, which determines the next set of national standards for promoting diversity in law firm hiring, promotions and governance.

“The Mansfield process helps us be more intentional about taking an inclusive and data-driven approach to leadership advancement,” said Roman Wuller, Chair of Thompson Coburn. “Our ongoing application of these standards supports our Firm’s commitment to ensuring all of our attorneys have a clear path to succeed here.”

The Mansfield Rule is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States. It traces its origin to the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon hosted by Diversity Lab in collaboration with Bloomberg Law and Stanford Law School. The first cohort in 2017 included 35 firms. Today, the program has grown to 340 large and midsize firms across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., as well as more than 75 legal departments.