On June 5th, Diversity Lab, the for-profit DEI consultancy firm behind the Mansfield Certification, or “Mansfield Rule,” announced its imminent closure. The decision follows months of pressure from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which began last January when acting Chair Andrew N. Ferguson issued warning letters to 42 prominent U.S. law firms alleging “unfair and anticompetitive employer labor practices” due to their association with the Mansfield Certification.
Created by Diversity Lab in 2016, the Mansfield Certification was a 12-month program which encouraged inclusive hiring and promotion practices in law firms and legal departments. Initially focused on promoting opportunities for women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, subsequent iterations of the Mansfield Certification expanded to include LGBTQ+ attorneys and lawyers with disabilities.
By late 2025, more than 300 law firms had participated in the program. The certification worked to diversify leadership pipelines by increasing the representation on management committees, partner nomination committees, and candidates for equity partnerships.
Acting under the guise of antitrust law, the FTC argued that participation in the certification could raise concerns about collusive or anti-competitive employment practices. However, courts have already rejected similar arguments in favor of existing anti-discrimination law.
In Perkins Coie LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice, et al., Judge Beryl A. Howell emphasized that the Mansfield Rule does not impose quotas or require discriminatory hiring practices. Instead, the certification requires participating organizations to ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds are considered for leadership and advancement opportunities.
This dispute reflects a broader effort by the administration to challenge DEI initiatives across both the public and private sectors. In recent years, DEI programs have faced increasing legal and political scrutiny, with opponents arguing that such initiatives can create unfair advantages and supporters maintaining that they help address longstanding barriers to opportunity.
The closure of Diversity Lab raises questions about the future of diversity efforts within the legal profession. Even if the Mansfield Certification itself disappears, the issues it sought to address remain. Women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in many positions of legal leadership.
This attack of DEI programs also works in conjunction with the President’s intentions of rescinding women’s rights, isolating women in the home where they function as subservient wives, home-makers, and childbearers for the male head of household.
As more women are pushed from the workforce, drawing the country backwards, it is now more important than ever for private firms to stand up and ensure inclusivity in their hiring and promotion practices.
