Cox, Castle & Nicholson Achieves Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus Status
The Certification Recognizes Cox Castle for Boosting Diversity in its Leadership Roles
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (May 30, 2023) Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, a leading full-service law firm specializing in real estate in the United States, has achieved Diversity Lab’s Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus status. The Mansfield Certification recognizes the structural changes and actions Cox Castle has taken over an 18-month period – from September 2021 to March 2023 – to diversify leadership within the firm by broadening the slate of talent considered for internal leadership roles and increasing transparency with written and accessible advancement processes and role descriptions.
The overall goal of the Midsize Mansfield Rule is to increase the number of attorneys in firm leadership from historically underrepresented groups by challenging firms to consider at least 30% of women, LGBTQ+ lawyers, lawyers with disabilities, and/or racial/ethnic minority lawyers for entry-level and lateral attorney job openings, equity partner promotions, management positions, and opportunities to connect with clients.
Cox Castle’s Certification “Plus” status indicates that, in addition to successfully meeting the consideration and transparency requirements, the firm achieved at least 30% representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in current leadership roles and pipeline activities.
“Cox Castle is proud to have achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status,” said Alicia Vaz, Partner and Chief DEI Officer, Cox Castle. “Cox Castle’s participation in the Midsize Mansfield Rule certification program builds upon our continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the firm and its leadership and adds accountability and benchmarks to measure our progress.”
Cox Castle continues to prioritize diversity and inclusivity throughout the firm and in the legal community at large. In 2022, Cox Castle launched the Mario Camara 1L Diversity Scholars Program, named in honor of the Firm’s former managing partner Mario Camara. The 1L Diversity Scholars Program is open to first-year law students belonging to groups that have been historically underrepresented in the legal profession.
On an annual basis, Cox Castle sponsors a California ChangeLawyers 1L Diversity Scholarship, which provides financial support and mentorship to diverse first-year law students. Cox Castle also established The Phillip R. Nicholson Memorial Scholarship Fund for Real Estate Excellence at USC Gould School of Law and the Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP Endowed Scholarship in Law at UCLA School of Law.
About Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP was founded in Los Angeles in 1968, with the goal of providing superior and comprehensive legal services to businesses, institutions, and individuals in all aspects of the real estate, finance, and construction industries. Cox Castle is now one of the largest full-service law firms specializing in real estate in the United States with more than 140 transactional and litigation attorneys in its Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco offices.
The Firm has substantial expertise in matters involving land and improved property acquisitions and dispositions; joint ventures; single and multifamily residential development; land use, entitlement and regulatory compliance (including coastal commission and condemnation); office, industrial, retail and mixed-use development, leasing and management; commercial lending and institutional investment; loan workouts and financial restructuring; construction; resort and hospitality; labor and employment; risk management and insurance; environmental compliance; renewable energy and natural resources; and tax and estate planning. For more information, please visit www.coxcastle.com.