Merchant & Gould has again achieved Mansfield Rule Plus Certification. The certification recognizes Merchant & Gould’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through its hiring, promotion, and leadership decisions.
The Mansfield Rule is a structured certification process designed to ensure all talent at participating law firms has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership – broadening the talent pool for those historically underrepresented in the legal profession, such as women lawyers, racially and ethnically diverse lawyers, LGBTQIA+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities. Mansfield’s methodology is rooted in changes to systems and processes, not exclusivity or discrimination.
To achieve certification, Merchant & Gould implemented a behavioral science and data-driven approach – designed by talent experts, data scientists, and lawyers – to help increase diversity in leadership. While working to achieve these benchmarks, the firm enhanced transparency related to leadership roles, advancement processes, and compensation policies.
“Merchant & Gould is proud to achieve the Mansfield Rule Plus Certification once again and to be part of a community of law firms sharing an essential goal of more inclusive and diverse leadership opportunities, especially among underrepresented groups. At a time when these efforts are especially critical, we are making our advancement processes more open and more transparent than ever. We will continue to use the data from the Mansfield Certification process to continually update policies and outcomes that benefit our firm, our clients, and our community,” said John T. Winemiller, Chief Diversity Officer and managing partner of Merchant & Gould’s Knoxville office. “Our methodology and commitment to transparency have never been clearer. And that’s good news for all of us.”
More than 240 law firms – including 65 midsize and 175 large – achieved 2022-2023 Mansfield Certification, according to Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law.
“This class of Mansfield Certified firms knows that their efforts to expand opportunities are on the right side of history and the law. Even as the certification requirements get more challenging year-over-year, more and more firms are committing to this important work,” said Caren Ulrich Stacy, CEO of Diversity Lab.
In addition to this year’s 2022-2023 certification, Merchant & Gould participated in three previous iterations of the Mansfield Rule, achieving the Mansfield 2.0 Certification in 2019; the 3.0 Version in 2020; and the Midsize Mansfield Rule “Plus” certification in 2022. Merchant & Gould has already committed to continuing this work as part of the next certification cohort in 2023-2024.
