St. Louis-based law firm Armstrong Teasdale has achieved Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification Plus for 2022-2023. 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.
More than 175 large firms in the U.S. and Canada are currently certified. Armstrong Teasdale is part of an even smaller pool of those large, certified firms that have earned the increasingly difficult “Certification Plus,” which indicates that the firm has not only taken steps to increase inclusivity in leadership, but also made measured progress in doing so.
To achieve Mansfield Certification, firms must have implemented a behavioral science and data-driven approach to help increase diversity in leadership. Certified firms considered broad slates of qualified talent for leadership roles that included at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers—such as women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities. In addition, certified firms have worked hard to enhance transparency related to leadership roles, advancement processes and compensation policies.
“Mansfield Certification is not to be taken lightly – it is a tremendous achievement,” said Armstrong Teasdale DEI Data and Compliance Analyst Michael Williamson. “We collaborated across departments from DEI to HR to IT to ensure that our communication, transparency and support of DEI initiatives was tracked and benchmarked in accordance with Mansfield.”
Mansfield’s methodology, which has proven to build more diverse leadership teams, is rooted in changes to systems and processes, not exclusivity or discrimination. Mansfield ensures that opportunities for advancement are inclusive by broadening talent pools instead of instilling quotas, set-asides or requirements unrelated to an individual’s qualifications. The process requires annual recertification, and firms must also meet routine check-in, data-collection and reporting milestones.
“The work of our teams, our lawyers, our Executive Committee and countless others firmwide is commendable,” said recently joined Chief Diversity Officer Kenneth Sharperson. “We stand firmly with the other legal departments, including many of our clients, and law firms recognized. It is critical that our people find a sense of purpose and belonging within our walls, and I look forward to even further enhancing the firm’s efforts in my new role to help Armstrong Teasdale continue to be a model of inclusion and diversity in the legal space.” Armstrong Teasdale is an active Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) member firm, a member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA) and a seven-time honoree of the Human Rights Campaign, having earned 100% in their annual Corporate Equality Index.
