Wilkinson Barker Knauer (WBK) is proud to announce that we have once again achieved Diversity Lab’s designation of Mansfield Certified Plus for 2023-2024!

Mansfield is a year-long, structured certification process that WBK has committed to since 2020 to ensure all talent at our firm has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership. The focus is on opening the door wider and ensuring that opportunities for advancement are transparent and inclusive for everyone. By asking that at least 30% of our talent pools considered for leadership roles consist of underrepresented groups and that our advancement processes are transparent, Mansfield creates a level playing field for all.

To achieve our Plus designation, we voluntarily provided data to Diversity Lab to show our progress and outcomes of our efforts to broaden talent pools and increase the visibility of our advancement processes. This transparency allows us and Diversity Lab to celebrate progress and to identify areas with continued opportunities for improvement.

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. We have experienced positive progress at our firm since we joined Mansfield, and we remain committed to taking measurable actions to ensure that our processes are — and remain — inclusive.

We are proud of the unique opportunities that WBK provides for our diverse lawyers to thrive and lead our practices, and are pleased to be building on that foundation with critical insights from the Mansfield process. We will continue our work with Diversity Lab and look forward to learning from the many other firms who also have signed on to this work.

“Building a diverse and inclusive workplace is a process not a destination – and our Mansfield Certification Plus commitment is part of WBK’s process,” said Managing Partner Bryan Tramont. “We are proud to have been part of the inaugural Mansfield Midsize Firm cohort in 2020 and to have renewed our commitment every year. WBK has provided a unique opportunity for our diverse lawyers to thrive and lead our distinct practices, and we are pleased to be building on that foundation in partnership with Mansfield. Thank you to Diversity Lab for helping us develop a more robust, measurable, and transparent framework to expand these important efforts.”

“It is easy to speak about anecdotal experiences regarding inclusivity in law firms, but the Mansfield Rule Certification shows that WBK has satisfied objective and important goals,” said Chief Diversity Partner Ronnie Raju. “We are proud that we don’t just talk, we actually walk the walk.”

Mansfield Certification is just one indicator of WBK’s broad, strategic commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at our firm and in the legal profession. We are grateful to the many clients and friends of the firm who consistently encourage and support us in these important efforts in our Washington, D.C., Denver, and Austin offices.

Read the Diversity Lab Press Release here.