D&I News and Events

Fisher Phillips Achieves Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification and Certification Plus Status
FIRM ALSO COMMITS TO NEXT ROUND OF DIVERSITY LAB’S CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, is among a select group of law firms to earn Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification and Certification Plus status.

The 5.0 certification indicates that Fisher Phillips affirmatively considered women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. Firms participating in Mansfield 5.0 were also asked, for the first time, to consider at least 30% underrepresented lawyers when hiring and promoting to C-level or other senior-level professional staff roles and for nominations to Chambers USA. Participating firms were also asked to track candidate pools in a more granular way to ensure that no underrepresented group was left behind.

The firm’s “Certification Plus” status indicates that Fisher Phillips not only considered historically underrepresented groups for leadership roles but also achieved diverse representation during the certification period.   

“It takes a lot of work for firms to make even incremental changes to longstanding systems, and it is an absolute honor for the Diversity Lab team to see what these firms have achieved over the course of the year-long certification cycle,” said Kavita Ramakrishnan, Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule and Knowledge Sharing Senior Director. “The firms enthusiastically engaged with Mansfield’s rigorous challenges while sharing learnings with each other to ensure a collective “win.” Every Certified and Certified Plus firm should take great pride in this hard-earned accomplishment!”

In addition to achieving the 5.0 Certification and Certification Plus status, Fisher Phillips has also signed on as one of the 180+ law firms to participate in Diversity Lab’s next round of the Mansfield Rule certification process. The newest version – Mansfield Rule 6.0 – is described as the “toughest yet” requiring participating law firms to consider at least 30% of underrepresented lawyer groups (women, racial and ethnic, LGBTQ+, and lawyers with disabilities) when appointing leadership roles and promoting into the equity partnership. Firms must also consider 30% underrepresented talent for C-suite roles and will be asked to share lessons learned with each other through monthly knowledge sharing forums.

“We are a better law firm because diversity, equity and inclusion are at the very core of who we are and what we do,” said John Polson, Chairman and Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips. Regina Petty, Fisher Phillips’ Chief Diversity Officer and Partner added: “While we are pleased by the progress we have made which is confirmed by our firm’s Mansfield Certification and Certification Plus status, we know that our work is ongoing, and we must keep striving to drive and sustain diversity for the communities in which we work, for the clients we serve, and for an inclusive culture for our colleagues.”

For more information about Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification and Certification Plus please click here.

Fisher Phillips Recognized by Female Associates as a Leader in Providing Career Development and Training Resources

FIRM NAMED AMONG THE BEST FOR ASSOCIATE SATISFACTION IN NEW BTI SURVEY

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, has been named among the best law firms for associate satisfaction in a new ranking by BTI Consulting. The firm is ranked among 147 law firms included in the BTI Associate A-Listers 2022: BTI Survey of Law Firms Where Associates are Happiest which recognizes law firms for developing strategies for associate retention and job satisfaction. The firm also ranked among the top 122 law firms in the U.S. best at keeping female associates satisfied in their careers and ranked among the top firms in six career development activities.

According to associate respondents, Fisher Phillips ranked among the top firms for its commitment to helping associates in their careers and having at least one partner watching out for them. Additionally, Fisher Phillips ranked among the top law firms by female associates in key training and support activities, including:

  • Commitment to helping associates in their career
  • Specific action to help develop a career path
  • Access to the training they need
  • Good mentoring
  • Optimism about growing within their firm
  • High levels of job satisfaction

“Fisher Phillips is proud to be recognized for creating firmwide actions that meet the expectations and needs of all of our associates,” said Melanie Webber, partner and chair of Fisher Phillips’ Women’s Initiative and Leadership Council. “We are especially honored to be recognized by our female associates for our work in expanding development and training activities across the firm and fostering female leadership opportunities for attorneys at all levels. Our work is not done, but the BTI results are a testament to our commitment to making Fisher Phillips a place where associates have access to the tools they need to create the career they envision.”

The BTI Associate A-Listers list is a first-of-its-kind report based on a large-scale independent survey with more than 4,000 responses. The survey defines what associates want and value – and associates rate firms as best at each – and why. BTI conducted a large-scale survey of associates at Am Law 200, global, mid-size, and smaller law firms to uncover the drivers behind associate retention and job satisfaction. To learn more about the BTI Associate Satisfaction A-Listers 2022: BTI Survey of Law Firms Where Associates are Happiest, please click here.

Earlier this year, Fisher Phillips topped Law360’s list of ‘Law Firms That Keep Attorneys Happy’ in their 2022 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey. The firm ranked among the best in a variety of categories, including “compensation, billable hours, opportunities for advancement and the collegiality of their firms.” For more information, please click here.

Deepa Desai Elected 2022 Co-President of the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston

Deepa Desai, an associate in the firm’s Boston office, was recently elected co-president of the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston (SABA GB), one of 29 chapters of the South Asian Bar Association of North America located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Deepa has been an active member of the SABA GB board of directors since 2018, and has previously served terms as both secretary and vice president. In her new role as co-president, which she’ll assume Jan. 2022, Deepa will work to further the mission of SABA GB in promoting the advancement of attorneys and law students of South Asian Heritage; creating a forum for networking and development; providing ongoing legal scholarship and education; and advancing advocacy and community involvement.

Deepa plans to continue SABA GB’s tradition of engaging members and prospective members with interesting and informative events and programming, as well as working with local, state, and national bar organizations to address issues relevant to the South Asian legal community —particularly around issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

At Fisher Phillips, Deepa focuses her practice on defending employers against claims of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, as well as wage and hour violations and contract disputes, all topics she has spoken on extensively. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), the American Bar Association, and USA 500 Clubs. She also serves as Membership Relations Chair of BNI.

Fisher Phillips Named Among the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality”

Firm Earns a Perfect Score in the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, is proud to announce that it has earned the designation as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” after achieving a perfect 100% score on the 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The CEI is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality as conducted by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF).

“It is an honor to be recognized for our commitment to LGBTQ equality and inclusion,” said Roger Quillen, Chairman and Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips. “We continue to recruit, hire, develop, retain, and promote the best attorneys regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, backgrounds, and viewpoints. As an employment firm, we operate under the belief that diversity and inclusion strengthens our ability to serve clients with an assortment of viewpoints and critical insights about the legal issues they are facing in the workplace.”

Fisher Philips takes great pride in being among the 767 major U.S. businesses that earned top marks this year after providing crucial protections to millions of workers. The firm has made a point of implementing policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees. The firm continues to advance non-discrimination workplace protections for gender, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation. The firm also ensures both domestic partner benefits and transgender-inclusive health care benefits. In addition, Fisher Phillips makes it a point to support national LGBTQ+ events such as Lavender Law as a show of support for continuing the commitment to workplace equality both in the legal profession and beyond.

“From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President. “This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways. Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do—but the best business decision.”

Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.

The 2021 Corporate Equality Index report is available here.

Fisher Phillips Achieves 2020 WILEF Gold Standard Certification

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, is pleased to announce the firm has been named a 2020 Gold Standard Certification recipient from The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF).

WILEF Certification focuses on leadership roles achieved by women at law firms with 300 or more practicing lawyers in the U.S. Firms achieve certification if they successfully demonstrate that women represent a meaningful percentage of their highest leadership positions, of their governance and compensation committees, and that there be meaningful diversity among their women equity partners.

For 2020, US Gold Standard Certification, a meaningful percentage means that the firm satisfies the mandatory criterion that 20% of equity partners or 33% of the attorneys becoming equity partners during the past twelve months are women. The firm must also satisfy at least three of the following five criteria:

  • 15% of the firm and US branch office heads are women
  • 20% of the firm’s primary governance committee are women
  • 20% of the firm’s compensation committee or its equivalent are women
  • 15% of the top half of the firm’s equity partners in terms of compensation are women
  • 10% of women equity partners are women of color, or 4% of women equity partners are LGBT

Fisher Phillips met all six criteria for 2020 Gold Standard Certification. 

“Fisher Phillips’ long-standing commitment to identifying and appointing diverse candidates for leadership positions across the firm is working and we are grateful that WILEF has recognized these efforts,” said Christine Howard, partner and member of Fisher Phillips’ Management Committee. “Over 65% of the firm’s practice group and industry teams are chaired or co-chaired by women, our management and compensation committee is made up of 33% women, and among our executive leadership team, more than half of our leaders are diverse. Additionally, over 18% of our firm’s offices are managed or co-managed by women, further demonstrating our dedication to advancing diverse candidates into leadership positions across the firm.”

More information about WILEF and Gold Standard Certification can be found here.