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Diversity Lab changes online descriptions to emphasize fairness, avoid misconceptions

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 30, 2025, 8:52 am CST

A group that works with law firms to increase diversity has made changes to its website to remove some diversity-related wording and to avoid use of percentages in a description of its certification program.

Law.com noticed the differences in Diversity Lab’s website and its description of its “Mansfield Certification” program, named after the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States.

The changes follow a conservative backlash against some diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

For firms to receive Mansfield Certification, at least 30% of candidates for 75% of leadership opportunities must comprise historically underrepresented lawyers. The percentage differs for in-house legal departments.

Besides eliminating words in the DEI acronym, Diversity Lab removed references to required candidate pool percentages, Law.com reported. Now, the website says firms must “commit to expanding their talent pools for all leadership opportunities.”

DEI words have been replaced with words such as “equal” and “fairness,” the article notes. Objectives were rewritten to emphasize striving to level the playing field.

“Our north star is fairness,” the website says.

Caren Ulrich Stacy, founder and CEO of Diversity Lab, told Law.com that the changes are “normal website refinements” and said the word “diversity” is still mentioned on the lab’s website more than 150 times.

Stacy said the certification program still uses percentages, but the specifics were removed online because it was too difficult to summarize in one sentence the differing requirements for legal departments, midsize firms, large firms and U.K. firms.

“Industry feedback was that it was confusing,” Stacy told Law.com in an email. “To simplify, we removed the percentages from our website and instead explained it comprehensively in the certification documentation.”

“Our work remains the same,” Stacy added. “We are focused on equal access, equal treatment and equal opportunities. We are also keenly aware of the scrutiny on language right now at a national level, and we want to be as clear as possible on our focus so there are no misconceptions—with greater inclusion, comes greater diversity.”

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