Morrison & Foerster Earns Mansfield Certification Plus Status for Third Consecutive Year

SAN FRANCISCO (September 15, 2020) – Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that the firm has achieved “Mansfield Certification Plus” for the third year in a row as a result of successfully reaching at least 30 percent women, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm is one of only 25 to have received Certification Plus for three consecutive years. The Mansfield Certification is administered by Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law.

“Diversity and inclusion have long been core values of our firm, and I am proud that Morrison & Foerster has continued to achieve the highest level of certification that Diversity Lab offers in the program,” said Larren M. Nashelsky, chair of Morrison & Foerster. “Having been an early adopter of the Mansfield Rule three years ago, it is encouraging to witness industry-wide improvements in talent practices as a result of its implementation.”

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. Morrison & Foerster was one of 44 of the country’s leading law firms that joined Diversity Lab’s pilot program of the Mansfield Rule from mid-2017 to mid-2018. The Rule was named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States, and is a modified version of the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” requiring all NFL teams to interview at least one candidate from underrepresented minorities for head coach positions. The Mansfield Certification initially measured whether law firms had affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women and lawyers of color for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and senior lateral positions. In the inaugural year of the program, Morrison & Foerster achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status, indicating that not only had the firm exceeded the candidate pipeline consideration requirements to participate in the program, but had also successfully reached at least 30 percent diverse representation in a notable number of leadership roles and committees.

Version 3.0 of the program, which ran from mid-2019 to mid-2020, saw an increase to 102 participating firms and expanded to include lawyers with disabilities in the populations considered. Morrison & Foerster again exceeded the pipeline consideration and current leadership position requirements to achieve 3.0 Certification Plus. The firm is participating in Mansfield 4.0, which runs July 15, 2020 through July 14, 2021, together with 116 other firms. Firms are audited bi-annually and certified annually as they follow, comply with, and achieve the Rule’s requirements.