Reinhart Expands Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Efforts by Pursuing Mansfield 5.0 Certification

Milwaukee – Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Reinhart) is proud to announce it has adopted the Mansfield Rule 5.0 in furtherance of the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Administered by Diversity Lab, the Mansfield Rule is a national initiative to close the gender and diversity gap in the legal profession. Reinhart is one of more than 160 large law firms participating in the Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification program, which launches July 15, 2021.

Now entering its fifth year, the Mansfield Rule has become the standard by which law firms track and measure that they have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women, lawyers from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, lawyers with disabilities and LGBTQ+ lawyers for top leadership roles, senior-level lateral hiring, promotions into the equity partnership and participation in client pitch meetings.

Recent data shows that the Mansfield Rule is succeeding at its goal. The “early adopter” firms piloting the Mansfield Rule have increased the racial and ethnic diversity of their management committees by 30 times the rate of non-Mansfield Rule firms. Similar to previous years, this iteration of the Mansfield Rule includes new challenges to continuously push the boundaries necessary to boost diversity in law firm leadership.

“At Reinhart, we believe that our people are the most critical component to our success, and that advancing our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in all that we do is not only imperative to our success, but that of our clients,” says Jessica Hutson Polakowski, board member and co-chair of Reinhart’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. “Participating in the Mansfield Rule will allow us to further enhance our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and permit us to effectively measure and communicate our progress.”

ABOUT DIVERSITY LAB

Diversity Lab is an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law. Experimental ideas are created through our Hackathons and piloted in collaboration with more than 150 top law firms and legal departments across the country. Diversity Lab leverages data, behavioral science, design thinking and technology to further develop and test new ideas and research, measure the results, and share the lessons learned. For more information, visit www.diversitylab.com.

ABOUT REINHART BOERNER VAN DEUREN S.C.

Reinhart is a full-service, business-oriented law firm with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha and Wausau, Wisconsin; Chicago and Rockford, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; and Phoenix, Arizona. With more than 200 lawyers, the firm serves clients throughout the United States and internationally with a combination of legal advice, industry understanding and superior client service.