Kean Miller Achieves Mansfield Certification Plus Status for 2021

Kean Miller announced today that the 165-attorney law firm achieved Mansfield Certification Plus for 2021 after completing the Mansfield Rule 4.0 certification program.  This recognition follows our 3.0 certification in 2020 and emphasizes our long-standing commitment to improving diversity in the legal industry.  

“Kean Miller knows that a culture of inclusion and diversity benefits us, our clients, and the legal industry by incorporating different perspectives and experiences into all that we do.  We are proud to be recognized for our active advancement of diverse attorneys and are excited to continue to improve upon our diversity efforts as we pilot Mansfield 5.0.”, said Vic Suane, Chair of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Mansfield Rule certification recognizes law firms that actively work to close gender and diversity gaps in the legal profession. The program measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+, and lawyers with disabilities for mission critical operations and decision-making, such as executive leadership, recruitment, and business development activities. The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities.  

“Kean Miller is proud of our historical commitment to diversity and inclusion as a Firm.  Participating and achieving Mansfield Rule Certification for the second year, furthers this long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.”, states Linda Perez Clark, Managing Partner.

To achieve the Mansfield Rule objectives, Kean Miller established processes and procedures to track and analyze talent pipelines and participated in candid knowledge sharing opportunities with law firms across the country.  

Kean Miller is proud to continue our partnership with Diversity Lab through 2022 by participating in the Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification process which launched in July of 2021.  This iteration of the Mansfield Rule includes new challenges that will push law firms to boost diversity in their leadership.  

The Mansfield Rule is named for Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States more than 150-years ago.  The concept of the Mansfield Rule and certification process evolved from the National Football League’s Rooney Rule of 2003 – an initiative that mandates the inclusion of diverse candidates in interviews for coaching and staff opportunities.  At the 2016 Women in Law hackathon, the legal community, in collaboration with Bloomberg Law and the Stanford Law School, parlayed this concept into the Mansfield Rule.

Mansfield Rule certification is managed by Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.  Since their launch three years ago, they’ve grown from 42 firms to 117 firms participating annually.  Diversity Lab leverages data, behavioral science, design thinking, and technology to further develop and test ideas, measure the results, and share the lessons learned.

Kean Miller LLP is one of the largest and best recognized law firms in the Gulf South region. For nearly 40 years, the Firm has been innovating and growing, revolutionizing the standards for excellence in client service, and earning numerous awards for its market-leading practices and thoughtful and creative legal representation. Consistently named to the National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 and the Law 360 Top 400 lists, Kean Miller is Mansfield 3.0 certified, an honor bestowed for a select group of law firms which demonstrate a genuine commitment to diversity in the legal profession.  The Firm’s collaborative culture, people-first approach, and devotion to quality are foundational to the Firm’s continued success, reflecting its reputation in the market.  From the Firm’s eight offices in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Houston, and The Woodlands, and over 165 attorneys, Kean Miller delivers sophisticated and practical counsel to Fortune 500 leaders, national businesses, and local companies. 

For more information, contact Steve Boutwell at 225.389.3736 or steve.boutwell@keanmiller.com