Perkins Coie Adopts Mansfield Rule to Boost Leadership Diversity

CHICAGO (September 6, 2019) - Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that it has become a signatory to the Mansfield Rule, which aims to diversify the leadership of large law firms by broadening the candidate pool for senior management positions.

Mansfield Rule compliance is tracked by the Diversity Lab and builds on the National Football League's "Rooney Rule," whose purpose is to improve diversity within head coaching ranks. At Perkins Coie, the Mansfield Rule will also build on the firm's "Perkins Rule," which seeks to include lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities in the candidate pool for lateral hiring opportunities.

"Perkins Coie has long been engaged in the work of creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession, and our support for the Mansfield Rule will help us accelerate our efforts," said Genhi Givings Bailey, Perkins Coie's Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. "Diversity is a critical part of us living our values as a firm and our dedication to our clients, our communities and our people."

Law firm signatories to the Mansfield Rule have to certify that women, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities comprise at least 30 percent of the candidate pool for significant leadership roles, senior lateral openings and promotions.

Perkins Coie has made significant progress over the past decade toward building a diverse and inclusive culture: 6 of the firm's 11 Practice Group Chairs are women, and 9 of its 17 Office Managing Partners in the United States are either women or people of color. Among the firm's Executive Committee, 63% are either women or people of color; the industry average for representation on management committees is 24% for women and 10% for racial minorities.

Perkins Coie has long been recognized for excellence in the legal industry and for fostering a positive work culture—most notably by being named among Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For® for 17 consecutive years. The firm is also recognized as a Top Ten Firm for Gender Equity by Yale Law Women in its 2019 Top Ten Firms for Gender Equity and Family Friendliness Report, and was also named one of the 2019 "Best Law Firms for Women" by Working Mother in collaboration with the ABA Journal. In addition, the firm earned the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's top rating of 100% in the Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.