This story begins in a small town in Iowa shortly after the Civil War. It was there that a pioneering young woman named Arabella Mansfield challenged a law limiting the practice to white men by taking and passing the state bar exam in 1869. Within the year, the Iowa legislature amended its statute to allow both women and minorities to practice law in the state.
At the age of 23, Mansfield had forged her way to become the first female lawyer in the United States. She spent the rest of her life and career actively campaigning for the women’s suffrage movement. Today, her impressive legacy has lent itself to the creation of a new rule aimed at boosting the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership.
Stotler Hayes Group, LLC is honored to share in this legacy. Diversity Lab has announced that we are one of 26 midsize law firms to have achieved the inaugural Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification. We are proud to have completed a rigorous 18-month collaboration with Diversity Lab — beginning in September 2020 — to track, consider, measure, and achieve diversity in leadership.
The Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms with approximately 25 to 150 lawyers have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for lateral openings, leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and formal client pitch opportunities. As of May 4, 2022, 66 percent of Stotler Hayes Group associates are historically underrepresented lawyers.
Achieving Mansfield Certification strongly aligns with our core values and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
