FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC—Finnegan is pleased to announce that the firm has achieved Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus Status. Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions to boost diversity and inclusion in law and founder of the Mansfield Rule, confirmed Finnegan’s 5.0 status, marking the fourth consecutive year in which the firm has proven its efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in its recruiting and promotion processes.
The Mansfield Rule aims to boost representation of historically underrepresented lawyers as candidates for promotion, leadership roles, and pitch opportunities at law firms. Each year, Diversity Lab challenges firms to advance its efforts through specific achievement goals. For 5.0 certification, firms needed to achieve 30 percent representation of underrepresented lawyers in many of the Mansfield Rule’s categories and continue to show transparency and accountability in leadership consideration and representation. In 2021, 98% of the Finnegan teams proposed in pitches and proposals included a Mansfield-qualified diverse team.
In August 22, Finnegan signed on for Mansfield Rule 6.0. The 6.0 version requires law firms to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers from all four groups (women, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities) when appointing to leadership roles and promoting into the equity partnership, among a dozen other activities that focus on the path to leadership. Firms must also consider 30% underrepresented talent for C-suite roles and share data regarding advancement and compensation processes.
In addition to participating in the Mansfield Rule, Finnegan continues to advance its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts through internal and external initiatives that focus on recruiting, retention, and professional and business development. The firm offers opportunities for diverse attorneys through diversity secondments, participation in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) action programs, corporate partnership initiatives, sponsorships and participation in membership organizations, and collaborations with community organizations. Additionally, the firm has awarded over $500,000 to law school students through the Finnegan Diversity Scholarship program. In July, Law360 named Finnegan a top 5 firm for diverse partners, associates, and pipeline.
Contacts:
Erika H. Arner, Managing Partner
erika.arner@finnegan.com
Anand K. Sharma, Chair
anand.sharma@finnegan.com
About Finnegan
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Atlanta, Boston, London, Munich, Palo Alto, Reston, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Washington, DC, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, and copyright law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to advertising, trade secret law, European patents and trade marks, international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.