Butler Snow LLP’s Post

Diversity Lab is proud to announce that more law firms than EVER before have committed to the 2024–25 Mansfield Certification process! This is proof. DEI is not dead. With 365+ US, UK, and Canadian firms — including 19 new firms — seeking Certification in this next cohort, the Mansfield community has never been stronger! These firms are showing that the legal profession is continuing to live its values and ensure that all of their talent has a transparent, fair, and equal opportunity to be considered for advancement into leadership. Several top firms have expressed their reasons for staying committed to this important work: Heather McDevitt, Chair at White & Case LLP said: “White & Case was one of the first firms to adopt Mansfield’s principles in 2017. We remain committed to the principles because a transparent and equitable approach to creating leadership opportunities for everyone benefits our talent and our clients and is an important contributor to our success.” And the leaders at Sidley Austin LLP have this to say: “We are proud to be part of the growing list of law firms demonstrating their commitment to inclusivity and talent retention through actions that have a proven track record. Adopting Mansfield reflects Sidley’s confidence in our Built to Win programs developed to ensure our attorneys have the opportunity for success and advancement that our clients expect from us,” said Yvette Ostolaza, Sidley’s Management Committee Chair. Mike Schmidtberger, Sidley’s Executive Committee Chair, added, “We share the Mansfield Certification goal of ensuring fair and equal opportunity for all lawyers. It aligns with Sidley’s mission to attract outstanding lawyers who reflect the global marketplace and the communities that we serve, and to help them reach their full potential.”   Year-over-year participation in Mansfield has proven to help firms make substantial progress in diversifying their leadership ranks. Check out this article authored by two data science professors in The American Lawyer: https://lnkd.in/gbfbJHXw These Mansfield firms don’t just say they value DEI. They are taking measurable actions to ensure leadership opportunities are more inclusive. We are so honored to work with them!   Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/gF9Kuq55   #Mansfield #DEIinLaw #DEI #Inclusion #LeadershipDiversity #InclusiveTalent

Is your law firm ready to commit to achieving diversity in leadership?

Rogers Joseph O’Donnell is proud to announce the firm has joined Diversity Lab’s 2024–25 cohort of the midsize Mansfield Rule Certification process. RJO is one of 19 new law firms across the United States participating in this year’s program, and more than 365 firms nationwide have renewed their commitment for the 2024–25 certification period. The Mansfield Rule for Midsize Firms program launched in July and focuses on measurable goals, as well as collaboration with other participating law firms who share RJO’s values for promoting a more inclusive legal industry. Firms that receive certification will be announced in the fall of 2025. Data shows that firms that remain committed and accountable to the Mansfield Certification process year-over-year are making substantial progress in creating inclusive talent practices and diversifying their leadership ranks. “Our firm is dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace that contributes to creating a more equitable legal industry,” said shareholder Alecia Cotton, who is the chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. “We are thrilled to be part of the Mansfield community and learn alongside other firms who share our commitment to creating positive change at all levels of our profession. We believe that by making our workplace one where everyone can succeed, we can better serve our clients and their communities.” Read more about the Mansfield Midsize process on our website: https://lnkd.in/gqW54YnJ  #MansfieldRule #MansfieldCertification #MansfieldMidsize #DEIinLaw

Despite headwinds, the law firms that work with us are staying committed to their strongly-held values to cultivate inclusive and equitable workplaces!  Case in point – registration for the 2024-25 Mansfield Certification cohort opened recently and 200+ large and midsize firms in the US, Canada, and the UK have already renewed their commitment! Mansfield is a science-backed and data-driven certification process designed to ensure that all lawyers have a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership at their law firms. It’s focused on broadening the talent pool for consideration, including those historically underrepresented in the legal profession, and facilitating transparent pathways to leadership. And good news! It’s working, as noted by two data scientists in this American Lawyer article “Data Shows Mansfield Firms are Adding Diverse Leaders Much Faster.” https://lnkd.in/gbfbJHXw Here’s what two firm leaders have said about Mansfield recently . . . “The firm’s executive leadership and DEI team view the Mansfield Certification Process as an important tool to keep DEI top of mind with office managing partners, practice group leaders, C-suite staff, and attorneys at every level in the firm. The need to track information and report on our progress internally serves as a reminder to build DEI into our day-to-day practices. In addition, promoting certification as one of the firm’s strategic initiatives creates a team mindset where all of the stakeholders are working together to achieve a goal. This builds in accountability and ownership across the enterprise.” “The most positive impact has been in adding transparency to board processes and policies while allowing our attorneys to apply and opt into leadership consideration. By allowing others to ‘raise their hand,’ the firm has been able to identify leaders and better assist with leadership development and succession planning.” If your law firm cares about leveling the playing field so all lawyers have an equal opportunity to thrive and advance, we invite you to join us and other Mansfield firms and legal departments that share these values. Registration for the 2024-25 cohort closes on Wednesday, June 12. Contact Courtney A. Munnings at Courtney@diversitylab.com to learn more. #DEI #LawFirms #InclusiveCultures #Mansfield #OpenTheDoorWider #EqualAccess

We should not be surprised that Cleary Gottlieb has become the latest major firm to adopt a two-tier partnership – or should we?   Is the increasing adoption of two-tier partnerships a smart way of retaining talent and increasing profit per partner, or does it challenge culture and brand by introducing “second rank” partners?   Cleary is not alone. The trend of firms switching from one-tier partnerships or increasing their current Salaried Partner ranks is with us and should come as no surprise. We have just completed a survey of 192 leading firms globally. 34% of all firms are either actively increasing their Salaried Partner roles or reviewing whether to switch from a one to two-tier model.   The results were quite stark. Despite firms introducing or increasing the number of Salaried Partners for what they see as the “right” reasons, this approach is failing for all the “wrong” reasons. And the fact that 27% of firms report that SP roles are actually reducing, not increasing, profitability points to the potential hurdles.   This does not suggest that Cleary has made the wrong decision – far from it. It just means they should proceed with caution and with guardrails. Who said leading a law firm was easy!   Two of the most curious findings from our survey:   Only 27% of firms have the same selection criteria for both Salaried Partners and Equity Partners, pointing to the seeming contradiction in the two tier approach. And, when asked what benefits introducing or increasing Salaried Partner ranks would have on clients, the answer was a resounding 0% - but are firms even thinking about the impact on clients? I discuss the survey outputs with Stephen Revell here: https://lnkd.in/dAfcDDcr   In addition to the 192 firms who participated, the research wouldn´t have been possible without:   - My colleagues Stephen Revell (co-Chair of the IBA´s LFMC), Mari Cruz Taboada and Chris Dignan (who analysed the results);  - Soledad Atienza Becerril (Dean), Luis de Carlos (President) and Cristina Andrés (Director) IE Law School´s LawAhead Centre for commissioning the research; - Bryon Fong and Dana Walters Harvard Law School´s Centre on the Legal Profession who will be publishing an Insight on the results. The LawAhead Center on the Legal Profession collaborates with key players in the legal industry, including CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo, Cuatrecasas, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, Garrigues, Pérez-Llorca, RocaJunyent, Sagardoy Abogados and Uría Menéndez, as well as leading companies like CaixaBank, Microsoft, Aena, MAPFRE and Telefonica. The research is discussed as part of a related 10 part series on the Path to Partnership: https://lnkd.in/d-5A2ayA The Spanish introduction - ¿Qué supone ser socio de capital en una firma de abogados? - is here: https://lnkd.in/dcVNEvsz. Lexington Consultants Møller Institute International Bar Association

🤔 What’s really pushing top talent from Big Law? In his new article on The American Lawyer, William combines the latest attrition research with a personal tale of two associates – David and Aisha – who are composites of lawyers we’ve known along our journey, and help us locate answers to that pressing question. Both are talented, motivated, and committed to staying put at their firm. Both leave three years in to what looked like extremely promising careers. 🗣 From William’s piece: “Some associates are deemed to benefit from favouritism, others are pigeonholed for low quality tasks. Some have no time to develop a specialism, others just have no luck. Some feel overlooked and wonder if it’s because of who they are, others are overworked to the point of burnout. Some bill well over target, others well under target. Some leave after a crisis, others leave because they anticipate they’ll soon be pushed.” The former lawyers in our team care deeply about these issues, and are really enjoying working with law firms to help them retain more of their top talent with smart, structured work allocation. Thanks also to Jayson Levine and Nk U. for their help conceiving this piece; it was first delivered alongside them as a presentation at a NALP conference last year. https://lnkd.in/eBzhUGQW

In the not too distant past, elite #biglaw firms competed for the top of the market clients by trying to show them how they each offered differentiating services. NOW, these same firms have recognized that the only way to grow is by adding market share from someone else. That is why we have been seeing so much movement of talent among the most elite of the #biglaw firms. Clients? What they care about is 1) Quality of the work; 2) Quality of the people; and 3) Pricing (although they might not admit this out loud). Clients know that ALL of the lawyers involved have the same pedigree and training and have come up through the ranks at the same kinds of law firms and came from the same quality schools. So they have no issues with #2. And, if it is coming from an #elitelawfirm, they have no issues with #1, the quality of the work. So it comes down to pricing and serendipity. What really matters, one GC said, is whom you ‘click’ with. And opportunities for ‘clicking’ are often serendipitous—right place, right time, right people. Ah, relationships and networking, those dirty words.....

🚨 DEI in Law Firms: A Resource Struggle 🚨 Law firms are facing significant challenges in fully supporting their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. Despite growing pressure from clients and the need for strategic change, many firms struggle with resource allocation and leadership buy-in. As highlighted in recent cases, DEI can’t thrive on a shoestring budget—real progress requires commitment, collaboration, and a solid business case for investment. Check out this insightful article by Amanda O'Brien, ALM / Law.com on the challenges facing DEI efforts in law firms: https://lnkd.in/dK9PvdXQ This is exactly why events like The Say Gap are crucial. Our mission aligns with driving positive change in the legal sector by tackling these very issues and advocating for meaningful DEI integration. Is your firm ready to make DEI a true priority? Discover how you can be part of the solution with The Say Gap. 👉First Release tickets are now available: https://lnkd.in/e6mWWKu2 Cosmonauts | Legal IT Insider | EY | Ginger Leadership Communications | She Breaks the Law #TheSayGap #DEandI #legalconference #workshop #Diversity #workshop #LegalInnovation #WomenInLaw #PublicSpeaking #DEI #DiversityAndInclusion #LegalSector #Leadership 

Interesting article on why two promising associates decided to leave their firm - and how the firm did not successfully anticipate their desire for growth. #BigLaw #Lawyering

These past two weeks we talked about managing client relationships as part of Fordham University School of Law's program on Structural Issues in Law Firm Management both from the perspective of partners who excel at client relationships and members of GC offices. A few takeaways: ·     Deep substantive expertise matters. Clients look to external counsel to solve their thorniest, most complex, and most impactful problems. ·     Know the client well and understand its structure, industry, sector, culture, pain points, and risk tolerance, among other things. Listening and asking thoughtful questions is a great way to know your client. ·     View matters in the larger business context in which the firm operates rather than as discrete legal issues. ·     Delight at every touchpoint. Every person in a firm is responsible for client development and management, and firms must invest in talent to ensure that there is a consistent message and level of service. The client experience must be excellent from initial contact through the end of the representation. ·     Seek and accept feedback on every matter, and use it to improve client relationships and service.   Thank you to our amazing speakers: Peter M. Ellis (Reed Smith LLP),Pablo Jimenez Zorrilla (Von Wobeser y Sierra, S.C.), Nishat Ruiter (TED Conferences) and Sheea Sybblis (Boehringer Ingelheim) for their insights and generosity! https://lnkd.in/gmB6xhj3