Kennedys’ commitment to greater diversity in leadership recognised once again by Mansfield Rule

The Mansfield Rule, run by Diversity Lab, champions fair and equal access to advancement opportunities in the legal industry for historically underrepresented groups such as women, LGBTQ+ lawyers, those with disabilities and from racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Successful firms must demonstrate their meaningful efforts to consider qualified talent from these groups for at least 30% of leadership roles, including by improving clarity, transparency and availability of information about the positions and other career advancement opportunities.

Data shows the process of diversifying legal leadership is around twice as fast at firms accredited by Mansfield, as opposed to those that are not.

Following a rigorous 12-month certification process, Kennedys – which achieved dual accreditation in 2022 in its first submission year – has once again been named on the prestigious list, which includes just 15 UK firms.

Meg Catalano, US regional managing partner and executive group member, says: “We view diversity and inclusion as a key priority. We understand that it is important to represent the diversity of our people, our clients and our communities, and to create an inclusive culture in which everyone, regardless of their background, identity or circumstance, can thrive at work.

“We take great pride in this accomplishment and look forward to continuing to work with Diversity Lab to drive diversity in leadership within the legal profession.”

Ingrid Hobbs, London-based partner and head of Kennedys’ complex casualty coverage team, says: “Taking part in the Mansfield Rule certification process has supported our work to increase representation across Kennedys.

“We are proud to have received Certification Plus status in the US and UK, which reflects our efforts to make meaningful change.

“We look forward to continuing our participation in Mansfield as part of our strategy to promote greater diversity and inclusion within the firm.”

Caren Ulrich Stacy, CEO of Diversity Lab, adds: “Our certification process has never been more challenging. But these firms saw an opportunity to use Mansfield to push themselves and to do even more to build an inclusive environment, and ultimately, build a diverse leadership team. We’re so proud to collaborate with them.”

The Mansfield Rule, which launched in the US in 2017 and was rolled out to the UK in 2021, came from a winning pitch in Diversity Lab’s Women in Law Hackathon, a collaboration between Stanford Law School and Bloomberg Law.

It is named after America’s first female lawyer, Arabella Mansfield, and is inspired by the National Football League’s Rooney Rule, which requires all NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and other senior positions.

In addition to Mansfield accreditation, Kennedys also recently celebrated its sixth consecutive year as a global partner of the Lloyd’s of London Dive In Festival, the multi-awarding winning global festival promoting diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry.