Smith Anderson Achieves Mansfield Certified Plus Status for the Second Consecutive Year, Recognized for Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
Smith Anderson has again received Mansfield Certified Plus status for the firm’s efforts to attract, retain and develop attorneys from underrepresented groups and for ensuring all firm talent has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership.
Mansfield, administered by the Diversity Lab, is a year-long, structured certification process Smith Anderson first committed to in 2021. The program is focused on ensuring that opportunities for advancement are transparent and inclusive for everyone. To achieve certification, the firm submits comprehensive data to Diversity Lab, demonstrating Smith Anderson’s progress in broadening its talent pools and enhancing transparency in advancement processes.
Smith Anderson first qualified for the "Plus” status in the 2022-2023 cycle, having met 100 percent of the applicable categories for base Mansfield Certification and the requisite number of Mansfield Rule’s "Diversity Milestones." Data collected by Diversity Lab 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. At the same time, Smith Anderson holds the belief that everyone should have a fair opportunity for career advancement. This is why the firm has committed to a third cycle with Mansfield in the 2024-2025 Midsized Law Firm class.
Smith Anderson's comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) program encompasses a wide range of initiatives, including both internal and external diverse lawyer affinity groups and the Excellence in Diversity summer associate fellowship. These and other efforts have garnered significant recognition, with Triangle Business Journal naming Smith Anderson and our Chief Diversity Officer Taylor Dewberry "Leaders in Diversity." Lawyers of Color has presented the firm with its Diversity Award, and The Diversity Movement recognized Smith Anderson as one of five East Coast law firms "Doing it Right" in D&I. The firm was also honored with the Diversity & Inclusion Award by North Carolina and South Carolina Lawyers Weekly and received the inaugural Equity Champion award from the Wake County Bar Association in 2021.
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 Diversity Lab’s Hackathons and piloted in collaboration with more than 350 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.