Bricker achieves Mansfield Rule Certification Plus for second year

Bricker & Eckler is proud to announce it has achieved Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus. The law firm has demonstrated it not only took deliberate steps to expand the list of those considered for leadership positions within its organization but also achieved diverse representation in key leadership positions during this past year.

“We are thrilled to celebrate our second year of achieving this status, but more importantly, our decades-long commitment to this work,” said Jim Flynn, Managing Partner at Bricker. “Having a strong, diverse leadership team is a reflection of our purpose and business strategy that leverages diversity, equity and inclusion for more informed decision-making and to better meet the needs of the clients and communities we serve.”

The Mansfield Rule, a program of the Diversity Lab, aims to increase and sustain diversity in leadership within law firms by broadening the pool of women lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, lawyers with disabilities and underrepresented racial and/or ethnic lawyers who are considered for senior lateral attorney job openings, firm governance opportunities, equity partner promotions and firm leadership positions. Firms must also create and publish job descriptions and appointment/election policies for leadership roles.

To achieve Mansfield 5.0 Certification Plus, Bricker & Eckler collaborated with the Diversity Lab over a 12-month Certification period with built-in measurement, transparency, and accountability mechanisms. “It takes a lot of work for firms to make even incremental changes to longstanding systems, and it is an absolute honor for the Diversity Lab team to see what these firms have achieved over the course of the year-long certification cycle,” said Kavita Ramakrishnan, Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule and Knowledge Sharing Senior Director.“ The firms enthusiastically engaged with Mansfield’s rigorous challenges while sharing learnings with each other to ensure a collective “win.”

“We are committed to increasing the diversity of people from underrepresented groups, which means using data and metrics to support our decision making,” said Rhonda Talford Knight, PhD, Bricker’s Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. “Consistently achieving Mansfield Rule Certification Plus status demonstrates how we work in collaboration, as a firm, to accelerate how we impact growth, internally and externally.”

Bricker has already joined 180+ law firms in completing Mansfield Rule 6.0, the toughest certification process yet from July 2022 through July 2023. The certification requires higher benchmarks for diversity in leadership roles and documentation of data.