Shook Earns Mansfield Rule Certification in Promoting Underrepresented Attorneys

After a year-long evaluation process of tracking and measuring the number of underrepresented attorneys for leadership roles, senior-level lateral hiring, promotions to equity partnership and participation in pitch meetings, Shook has achieved Mansfield Rule Certification 5.0.

The Mansfield 5.0 certification process requires law firms to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers—a class that includes women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities—when promoting or appointing to leadership roles. Certification is measured and confirmed, and firms must earn re-certification every year to remain in compliance.

“Shook had informally met or exceeded many of the Mansfield requirements in the past,” said Shook Chair Madeleine McDonough, “but this specific commitment has resulted in our creating more robust tracking mechanisms and engaging many more stakeholders, ensuring that we consistently cast wider nets, expand our circles, and measure greater progress as we move forward.”

Nearly half of Shook’s executive committee is composed of women and diverse attorneys, and women and diverse attorneys lead a number of the firm’s city offices including Chicago, Hartford, Houston, Orange County and Tampa.

Within a three-month period earlier this year, Shook was recognized by three other organizations as a firm dedicated to the advancement, promotion and retention of women. The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) recognized Shook as a Gold Standard Firm for women for the 12th consecutive year, and Seramount, formerly Working Mother magazine, selected Shook as among its list of “Best Law Firms for Women” and for its Hall of Fame, also for a 12th year. Law360 Pulse’s “2022 Glass Ceiling Report” named Shook among the best firms in the country for percentage of female equity partners; Shook rose in the rankings to place in the Top 10 of firms having 251-600 attorneys. Like the Mansfield Rule Certification, the Law360 report gives a data-driven view of the promotion of women within U.S. law firms.