Morris Manning & Martin, LLP today becomes one of only a few dozen firms nationally to earn both Mansfield Accreditations from Diversity Lab. It earned both the Mansfield 2.0 and 2.0 Plus certifications — measuring representations by women and racially diverse lawyers.

* The firm is one of only 64 in the U.S. to achieve the new Mansfield 2.0 certification, which measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women, lawyers of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyers for leadership and governance roles. Diversity Lab says it works to raise the bar each year; this year it added representations of diverse lawyers in client pitch meetings as well as those who identify as LGBTQ+.

* MMM is one of only 51 firms to earn Mansfield Plus. This means that in addition to earning the basic certification, it also successfully reached at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership and committee roles.

“Including diverse perspectives — in every sense of the word — is a core value at the firm. More importantly, our clients demand diverse voices,” said Simon Malko, MMM’s managing partner. “Sometimes it is difficult to measure the results of your efforts. Achieving the Mansfield certifications helps us see, quantitatively, that we are headed in the right direction. Proud as we are to be recognized, we also see the path for greater strides toward improving our diversity.”

Morris, Manning & Martin earned both the available certifications last year as well. It was one of only 27 firms in the country to achieve the first-ever Mansfield Certification Plus status. After completing a year-long Mansfield Rule pilot in 2018, the firm also was among the first 41 law firms to accomplish basic Mansfield Certification, measuring affirmative consideration of women and racially diverse lawyers for leadership and governance roles.

MMM will also pursue Mansfield 3.0 certification for this coming year. Mansfield 3.0 will include lawyers with disabilities as well as women, lawyers of color and LGBTQ+ lawyers as part of the diverse candidate pool.

Born of Diversity Lab’s 2016 Women in Law Hackathon, the Mansfield Rule was inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule. By expanding who is considered for opportunities, the rule is intended to enhance representation of diverse lawyers in firm leadership. It is named for Arabella Mansfield, who became the first woman admitted to a U.S. bar 150 years ago.