Armstrong Teasdale announces that Partner Jaimie Mansfield has been named co-leader of the firm’s Inclusion Committee. Mansfield will serve alongside Partner and Co-Leader Sarah Sise, who stepped into the role in March 2018.
The Committee falls under Armstrong Teasdale’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Department and is responsible for developing, implementing and coordinating initiatives consistent with the firm's core values of inclusion and diversity. These inclusion-related initiatives include retention and recruiting efforts, as well as various client and professional development activities.
“Jaimie is and always has been an influential proponent of DEI,” said Vice President of the DEI Department Sonji Young. “Her pragmatic and open approach makes her not only relatable, but also a trusted confidant to many at the firm. I am pleased to see her elevated in this capacity and look forward to partnering with both Jaimie and Sarah on DEI initiatives in 2023 and beyond.”
The Inclusion Committee also reports to the Executive Committee, the firm’s governing body, on various activities and initiatives to drive accountability.
Mansfield has long been dedicated to the firm’s DEI initiatives, furthering the firm’s mission and strategic goals. She is the founder and former co-leader of the firm’s Parent Resource Group, for which the impetus was her three children. Mansfield aimed to create a community for working parents, ensuring they are supported and have continued opportunities to advance at the firm. The group creates a comfortable place for discussion and support for any lawyer or staff member who is a parent, is thinking of becoming a parent, or is caring for their own parents. This includes opportunities for authentic, open dialogue around navigating general challenges related to parenting and aging. Today, the Parent Resource Group has more than 80 members, including lawyers and staff across firm offices.
In her legal practice, Mansfield counsels clients with respect to real estate proceedings and litigation as a member of the Financial and Real Estate Services practice group. As former general counsel of a fully integrated private equity commercial real estate company, she brings to all her client engagements a unique understanding of the business issues they face and how she can best serve as a strategic partner on a variety of legal issues.
While Armstrong Teasdale has had a long-standing Inclusion Committee, the firm created a dedicated DEI Department in 2020 and has since invested in growing that department, the committee and associated programming and opportunities. In 2022, the firm announced it would pursue Mansfield Rule 6.0 certification in 2022-2023 in alignment with its dedication to championing DEI initiatives, which the Inclusion Committee is also supporting.
Original source can be found here.