What Diversity Lab does

Diversity Lab was a private, non-profit incubator that for 12 years (2014–June 2026) designed and experimentally tested programs aimed at reducing bias in hiring, development, and advancement within the U.S. legal profession. The organization worked directly with hundreds of law firm and legal department leaders through hackathons and design sprints, running two dozen pilots across 600+ law firms and legal departments, with the Mansfield Rule certification serving as its flagship initiative (360+ law firm participants). Its product portfolio also included the OnRamp Fellowship (a returnship for lawyers re-entering the workforce), the Move the Needle Fund, Inclusion Blueprint assessment, Diversity Dividends Collective, Counsel Spotlight directory, Disability Inclusion Commitments, and AV Club.

The organization's underlying methodology was research-based rather than software-based: rather than a SaaS platform, it operated structured experimental pilots with data collection, hypothesis testing, and certification frameworks to identify where bias existed in talent processes and to test interventions. Trademarks such as Mansfield Rule® and OnRamp Fellowship® anchored its brand identity in legal-sector DEI. Pricing was not publicly disclosed; revenue was generated through recurring participation fees for certification and pilot programs.

Commercially, Diversity Lab pursued a sales-led, direct-engagement GTM targeting two primary enterprise segments: law firms (using Mansfield Certification, OnRamp, Move the Needle Fund, Inclusion Blueprint, and Disability Inclusion Commitments) and in-house legal departments (using Diversity Dividends Collective and Mansfield for Legal Departments to evaluate outside counsel). Despite having built what appeared to be category-leading adoption in its niche, the organization was forced to pause the Mansfield Rule program in February 2026, furlough most staff, and ultimately announce closure in June 2026 after operating funds were depleted by responses to FTC, DOJ, and EEOC actions targeting coordinated DEI hiring practices.

Name

Diversity Lab

Legal name

Diversity Lab Corporation

Website

https://diversitylab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Diversity Lab was a private legal-industry diversity and inclusion incubator that designed experimental pilots—such as the Mansfield Certification and OnRamp Fellowship—with 600+ U.S. law firms and legal departments. It ceased operations in June 2026 after FTC scrutiny depleted its funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Diversity & Inclusion Consulting

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

IEP Goals, Accommodations & Modifications Design (EDAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC)

Keywords

• Legal diversity programs
• Diversity certification
• Inclusion initiatives
• Talent process pilots
• Law firm consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Marshall

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification and Program Services: The organization operated programs including the Mansfield Certification which was a structured certification process for law firms, along with other talent diversity initiatives. Revenue was generated through participation fees for certification and pilot programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Diversity Lab designed, tested, and operated a portfolio of diversity and inclusion programs for the legal profession. Its core offerings included the Mansfield Certification (a structured certification process for fair advancement into leadership), the OnRamp Fellowship (a returnship matching lawyers re-entering the workforce to law firms and legal departments), the Move the Needle Fund (funding for trailblazing firms piloting innovative talent practices), the Inclusion Blueprint (an assessment for law firm leaders), and the Diversity Dividends Collective (for legal departments to assess outside counsel). Programs were delivered through hackathons, design sprints, and experimental pilots conducted alongside hundreds of law firm and legal department leaders.

Product overview

Diversity Lab was an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law, operating as a unified portfolio of complementary programs. The core offerings included the OnRamp Fellowship (a returnship for lawyers re-entering the workforce), Mansfield Certification (a structured certification ensuring fair advancement opportunities), and Move the Needle Fund (supporting innovative talent practices). Supporting programs included the Inclusion Blueprint (assessment tool for leaders), Diversity Dividends Collective (outside counsel assessment), Counsel Spotlight (partner directory), Disability Inclusion Commitments (accessibility guidelines), and the AV Club. These programs worked together as an integrated approach to systematic diversity and inclusion in legal hiring, development, and advancement. The organization ceased operations as of June 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mansfield Certification: A structured certification process designed to ensure all talent has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership.
• OnRamp Fellowship
• Move the Needle Fund
• Inclusion Blueprint
• Diversity Dividends Collective
• Counsel Spotlight
• Disability Inclusion Commitments

Products and services

• OnRamp Fellowship A 'returnship' program that matches experienced lawyers returning to law firms and legal departments after extended hiatuses from the workforce.
• Mansfield Certification A structured certification process designed to ensure all talent has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership, originally developed for law firms and later extended to legal departments.
• Move the Needle Fund A funding initiative supporting trailblazing law firms that pilot innovative talent practices to build more inclusive workplaces.
• Inclusion Blueprint An assessment built for law firm leaders to maximize inclusion and equal access in talent practices.
• Diversity Dividends Collective A program enabling legal departments to assess outside counsel on inclusion practices and team metrics.
• Counsel Spotlight An accessible directory to quickly find legal expertise from a broad group of newly promoted partners at Mansfield-certified firms.
• Disability Inclusion Commitments Ten actions organizations can take to boost inclusivity and equal access for people with disabilities.
• AV Club A program offering diversity and inclusion networking and professional development within the legal community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two dozen pilots conducted with 600+ law firms and legal departments
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Law Firms (participating organizations)coreOthersOver 360 law firms participated in the Mansfield Rule certification program. The organization worked with hundreds of law firm leaders alongside legal department leaders to use data and science to identify bias and discrimination in talent processes. These organizations collaborated on hackathons and design sprints to design and test experiential pilots.
• Legal Departments (participating organizations)coreOthersHundreds of legal departments participated in Diversity Lab programs including the Mansfield Rule for Legal Departments and Diversity Dividends Collective. These organizations collaborated on pilots to assess outside counsel inclusion practices and team metrics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Paradigm Strategy: DEI and inclusion strategy consultancy that advises law firms and corporate legal departments on building diverse talent pipelines — directly comparable to Diversity Lab's core service offering to the same customer base.
• The Pipeline: Nonprofit that builds and supports the pipeline of underrepresented attorneys into the legal profession through structured programs with law firms and corporate legal departments — directly comparable mission and customer base to Diversity Lab.
• The Wieting Group: DEI-focused consulting firm that works with law firms and in-house legal teams on talent, culture, and advancement — overlapping service portfolio and target customers with Diversity Lab.

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: Global nonprofit that produces research and advisory services on workplace inclusion and gender equity, with a long-running MARC (Mentoring, Advocacy, Relationships, Coaching) program — overlapping research-driven, multi-employer model at much larger scale.
• Berlitz Diversity & Inclusion Solutions: Global training and consulting provider with a dedicated D&I practice delivering cross-cultural and inclusion training to enterprises — overlapping training-led DEI service line at much larger scale and broader industry footprint.
• Global Novations: DEI consulting firm delivering strategy, training, and assessment services to multinational employers — overlapping advisory and assessment capability, though serving a broader industry base than legal-only.

Emerging players

• Included (included.io): DEI data and analytics platform that helps employers measure, benchmark, and act on workforce inclusion metrics — overlapping measurement and benchmarking capability with Diversity Lab's Inclusion Blueprint and Mansfield tracking.
• Kanarys: DEI measurement and benchmarking SaaS platform that helps employers assess culture and track inclusion metrics — comparable technology-enabled benchmarking proposition for enterprise customers.
• Textio: Augmented-writing platform that evaluates job postings and recruiting content for inclusive language — adjacent technology layer that could be bundled with DEI hiring programs similar to Diversity Lab's pilot interventions.

Others

• Great Place to Work: Workplace-culture research and certification organization that benchmarks employee experience across industries — thematically adjacent via certification and benchmarking, but operates across all sectors rather than specializing in legal DEI talent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diversitylab/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/DiversityLabCo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Diversity Lab