The goal of building a stronger, more diverse profession has been a pillar of the Rhode Center on the Legal Profession from its inception. Our founding Director, Deborah L. Rhode, was one of the foremost scholars on diversity and well-being in the legal profession, and she made advancing those goals central to the Rhode Center’s mission.

Our research has included a survey of law firm leaders and general counsel about how they are approaching this challenge, and an analysis of how diversity can benefit corporate boards. The study finds that when diversity is well managed, it can improve decision making and enhance a corporation’s public image by conveying commitments to equal opportunity and inclusion.

We’ve also translated research on how to increase diversity and well-being into real-world impact in innovative ways. For example, the Rhode Center hosted a 2016 hackathon, in partnership with Bloomberg Law and Diversity Lab, with teams of practitioners, academics, and law students tackling the challenges of retaining and advancing women in elite firms. One of the proposals that emerged from the effort is now known as the Mansfield Rule, a practice where law firms pledge to affirmatively consider at least 30 percent women, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and promotion opportunities. Last year, 118 large law firms complied with the Mansfield Rule, and early evidence suggests that the initial crop of firms that adopted the rule did significantly better in diversifying leadership positions than those that did not.