Biglaw, Email Scandals

It's All About Optics, Man: Biglaw Firm Bans Personal Email After Salary Info Leaked

For law firms, banning personal email has become a bit of a thing, but it is all about timing.

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bar exam emailFor law firms, banning personal email has become a bit of a thing. Citing security concerns and client requirements, blocking access to webmail sites has been trending in Biglaw. Sure, sometimes the associates express their dissatisfaction with the new policy (to be fair, when you spend 12+ hours a day in your office anything that makes keeping up with your personal life even a little bit more difficult is going to be met with resistance, and with good cause), and firms may devise workarounds or modify the most draconian of the restrictions, but these new policies are only growing in popularity.

So it isn’t really surprising that Jones Day has jumped on the banning personal email bandwagon, but it’s all about timing, man. Last Thursday — the day after Above the Law posted the associate salary information we’ve compiled from attorneys at the firm, which is notoriously tight-lipped on compensation issues — the firm announced a new policy ending access to personal email at the firm.

Jones Day email memo

As a tipster noted:

Also to add insult to injury we just got the attached memo, saying they’re blocking Gmail from our work computers, even when we take them home. Ppl are going to be upset when they see this.

We don’t blame you at all. After just learning the “black box” compensation model seems to keep most associates at below-market rates, morale must already be low, and now you can’t even check your Gmail account. That sucks.

At least this doesn’t mean you have to keep quiet about any Biglaw tips you want to send to Above the Law! You can always text us at (646-820-8477), and you can text a photo of any memos or emails you want to send along. As always, all sources are kept strictly confidential.

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Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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