Troutman Pepper Achieves Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certification Plus
NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper is among 67 law firms to earn Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certification Plus status, which aims to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates. “Plus” status indicates that, in addition to meeting or exceeding the pipeline consideration requirements for certification, the firm has successfully reached at least 30% diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of its current leadership roles and committees.
“The importance of our firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts has only been magnified by the social unrest and racial injustices that we have witnessed this year. As a firm, we want to meet this moment with movement and have prioritized diversity metrics like the Mansfield Rule to make a meaningful difference,” said Troutman Pepper Managing Partner Tom Cole.
Named for the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States, the Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30% women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. Firms are audited bi-annually and certified annually as they follow, comply, and achieve the Rule’s requirements.
“We are proud to achieve Certification Plus under Mansfield Rule 3.0,” said Partner Holly Hill, the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. “As a result of our efforts over the past year, we increased the representation of women, attorneys of color and LGBTQ+ attorneys in our talent pipeline for nearly all of the roles considered, and we developed a baseline to track our results as Troutman Pepper, going forward.”
“Our firm is now applying the Mansfield Rule to areas that are not required for certification but still vital to ensuring diversity at all levels, including in our recruiting classes and all firm committees,” said Margaret Suender, Troutman Pepper’s Chief Legal Talent Officer.
Collectively, firms that have participated in all three certification years have made significant strides in diversifying leadership, notably:
- 96% of firms said that after adopting the Mansfield Rule, their teams of lawyers participating in formal pitch meetings have become more diverse.
- 65% of firms reported that more underrepresented lawyers were appointed or elected to their Management/Executive Committee than prior to adopting Mansfield.
- 63% of firms said they have increased the percentage of underrepresented lawyers promoted into equity partnership since adopting Mansfield.
- 58% of firms reported that their lateral partner hiring pool was more diverse following the adoption of Mansfield.
“Mansfield Certification, as it should be, is an ever-rising bar. Our next goal is 4.0 certification, which requires firms to ensure that at least 30% of lawyers staffed on matters won from formal RFPs and pitches are members of historically underrepresented groups,” said Partner Kassem Lucas, chair of Troutman Pepper’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “We remain committed to advancing diversity and inclusion both within our firm and the greater industry.”
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm known for its higher commitment to client care. With more than 1,100 attorneys in 23 U.S. cities, the firm partners with clients across every industry
sector to help them achieve their business goals. Read more about the firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices at
troutman.com.