LEXINGTON, KY – Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC is honored to share the firm is now Mansfield Rule Certified for 5.0 Version after completing the twelve-month program.
Named in honor of Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States, The Mansfield Rule is a voluntary initiative designed to increase diversity among the attorneys within law firms.
According to Dana Howard, a member of SKO and chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, “Stoll Keenon Ogden was an early adopter of Mansfield Certification by embracing the opportunity to move the needle and set a benchmark not only within the firm, but throughout the states where SKO has offices.” Howard continued, “it’s important to keep in mind that Mansfield Rule certification is not a ‘one and done’ project — it is an ongoing process that requires the thoughtful consideration and effort of everyone in our firm to ensure that SKO has diverse representation in leadership and decision-making roles within the firm, as well as in our hiring process.”
Mansfield Rule certification “measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities — at least 30 percent of the candidate pool — for recruitment, governance roles, equity partner promotions, and inclusion in formal pitches to clients,” according to Diversity Lab, which created and evaluates firms for certification. “More and more, clients are looking at the DEI initiatives a law firm has in place. Our commitment to Mansfield Rule participation and certification is a way to show our current and prospective clients that we take diversity seriously.” said Kelly Lonnberg, a member of SKO and co-manager of the firm’s participation.