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Blank Rome Achieves Mansfield Certification Plus for Mansfield Rule 3.0

Mansfield Rule Certified Plus 2020 Logo

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that the Firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status after successfully completing Diversity Lab’s yearlong Mansfield Rule 3.0 program. As a pilot member of the inaugural Mansfield Rule, the Firm has received Mansfield Certification for each iteration of the program and also earned the Mansfield Certification Plus designation last year. The Firm will continue its longstanding partnership with Diversity Lab through its participation in Mansfield Rule 4.0, which will run through July 2021.

“We are extremely proud to have once again achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status and to continue our participation in the next iteration of this important program,” said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Managing Partner and CEO. “As a Firm, we are dedicated to partnering with forward-thinking organizations and initiatives, such as Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, which are crucial to creating meaningful and lasting impact in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal industry and beyond.”

The Mansfield Certification for this year recognizes 100 leading law firms participating in Mansfield Rule 3.0 that have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women attorneys, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities for recruitment, governance roles, equity partner promotions, and inclusion in formal pitch presentations to clients. The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of diverse attorneys in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these roles and opportunities.

In addition to meeting or exceeding the baseline requirements for certification, Blank Rome and other law firms that achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status have successfully reached at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of their current leadership roles over the past year. Mansfield Rule 4.0 will add a new category for Certification Plus that asks firms to ensure that at least 30 percent of the attorneys staffed on matters resulting from formal pitch meetings during the certification period are from historically underrepresented groups.

“The Mansfield Rule directly aligns with our Firm’s longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through strategic recruiting and mentoring, career development and advancement programs, and networking opportunities,” added Sophia Lee, Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Blank Rome. “We will continue to identify, implement, and expand upon such important initiatives, and look forward to the advances we will make in the years ahead.”

As a reward for achieving Mansfield Certification, Blank Rome and other Mansfield Rule 3.0 certified firms will be able to send their partners from historically underrepresented groups to the Mansfield Rule Client Forums, which will take place in late 2022. At the client forums, participants will learn from and have an opportunity to connect with attorneys from more than 80 in-house legal departments from leading companies across the country.