The Mansfield Rule proposes that if 30 percent of the candidate pool is drawn from underrepresented groups, then a legal workplace will become more diverse and inclusive as a result.  However, across the legal profession, statistics related to the numbers of women and other underrepresented groups in leadership roles continue to paint a bleak picture of diversity and inclusion.  Professor Cecchi-Dimeglio’s Essay presents a supply-demand empirical analysis of the legal profession at the leadership level, and argues that the 30 percent Mansfield Rule ultimately does not enhance diversity in the legal profession, especially in leadership positions.

This Essay was prepared for the Colloquium entitled In Memory of Deborah Rhode, hosted by the Fordham Law Review and co-organized by the Stein Center for Law and Ethics on October 21, 2022, at Fordham University School of Law.