Manista champions diversity in legal community and beyond

Listen to this article

Leaving private practice in 1998 was one of the most difficult decisions Raymond Manista has had to make.

“I loved the private practice of law and the lawyers I practiced with at the time,” he said.

At the time he got an offer from Northwestern Mutual, he was a commercial litigation lawyer at Godfrey & Kahn in Milwaukee. Friends who had made a similar change told him that he owed it to himself to look into the company.

He did just that, and they were right. Looking back, Manista says the decision should have been an easy one.

“It was really the opportunity to move down the street, literally, to work for America’s most admired company,” he said.

Manista, now senior vice president of law and public affairs at Northwestern Mutual, says he enjoys his advisory role, which allows him to help others solve problems.

“I really enjoy taking a big picture view and helping people connect things that way,” he said.

Since becoming general counsel at Northwestern Mutual in 2008, Manista has led the charge to diversify both the company’s legal department and the legal profession in general.

“For us, it’s really about recognizing that diversity and inclusion is good for our community,” he said. “From a business standpoint, it’s good for engagement and getting better outcomes.”

Manista says his work of promoting diversity is driven by his knowledge that even small steps can lead to good outcomes.”“It’s exciting,” he said. “It leads me to want to do more.”

Manista has taken that same approach in his involvement in the larger Milwaukee community. He has served on nonprofit boards, including the Milwaukee College Preparatory School, which is dedicated to improving educational opportunities for underprivileged students.

He said his involvement required hardly a second thought because when he came to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University Law School, he enjoyed it, felt a deep sense of community and started to realize there were things that could be done better.

“I like to spend my time doing my part in small ways to make a bigger impact in society,” Manista said. “Small gestures and small steps can make a significant impact. … We can become overwhelmed by the problem as a whole.”