Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce its participation in the Mansfield Rule 6.0 certification process aimed at diversifying leadership. The parameters have expanded in scope and increased in rigor since the certification’s original launch five years ago.
“Although the 6.0 requirements are challenging, McDermott is dedicated to achieving the annual certification as we have for each of the prior five years,” Anthony Upshaw, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at McDermott, said. “As a Firm, we are committed to elevating and amplifying underrepresented voices within our firm, within the legal professional and within the communities where we live and work. We are relentless in our pursuit of driving real change.”
When Diversity Lab first launched the pilot certification with 40+ large firms in 2017, the primary requirement was to consider at least 30% women lawyers and underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers for leadership roles. Versions 2.0 through 5.0 were steadily broadened each year to include LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities as well as critical pipeline activities (e.g., pitch teams, senior-level lateral hiring), transparent leadership role descriptions and more.
The 6.0 version requires law firms to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers from all four groups when appointing to leadership roles and promoting into the equity partnership, among a dozen other activities that focus on the path to leadership. Firms must also consider 30% underrepresented talent for C-suite roles. Firms are asked to share lessons learned with each other through monthly knowledge sharing forums. They must create and publish job descriptions for leadership as well as continue to meet routine check-in, data-collection and reporting milestones.
More information about Mansfield 6.0 certification, including the full list of participating law firms, can be found here.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
