The annual Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards celebrate the achievements of law firms, legal departments, and vendors leading the legal industry into the future through technology and innovation.
The award recognizes Nixon Peabody for its partnership with legal industry incubator Diversity Lab in designing and piloting the Mansfield Rule for Workflow (MRW) “bias interrupter” tool, ensuring associates and counsel from historically underrepresented groups in the legal profession are provided with more equitable access to skills enhancing work opportunities. MRW empowers assigning attorneys in all 12 of the firm’s practice groups to create more diverse, impactful teams by connecting them with associates, counsel, and department attorneys who can provide dynamic skills and fresh perspectives.
“Facilitating equitable access to meaningful work opportunities benefits the long-term development and success of our attorneys,” said Nixon Peabody Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Rekha Chiruvolu. “The MRW tool enables us to look at attorney workflow and utilization more holistically, helping ensure that our underrepresented attorneys are provided with the resources and opportunities to succeed at our firm.”
Chiruvolu accepted the award alongside Nixon Peabody Chief Innovation Officer Aaron Yowell at a March 20th ceremony at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City.
“Our innovation efforts are about identifying the best match between our resources and our work,” said Yowell. “The Workflow tool does just that, breaking down old staffing patterns and forging new and dynamic teams. We are so pleased to see our substantial progress, with Rekha’s steady leadership, recognized.”
This award echoes Nixon Peabody’s commitment to building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. The firm recently achieved Mansfield Certification Plus recognition from Diversity Lab for the fifth consecutive year. Nixon Peabody is also one of only four firms partnering with Diversity Lab for the organization’s Move the Needle Fund (MTN), a collaborative effort to effect positive change throughout the legal profession. Earlier this year, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity also selected three Nixon Peabody attorneys to participate in its 2023 programs.
You can learn more about Nixon Peabody’s DEI initiatives here.
