Biglaw, Vermin / Rodents / Pests

Everybody Freak Out: Bedbugs In Biglaw

Now comes word that you may catch the modern scourge just by working -- that really adds insult to the injurious hours already required in Biglaw.

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Cartoon BedbugsIt’s been joked that in NYC, bedbugs are a much more unfortunate potential outcome of a one-night stand than an STD. Bedbugs are certainly harder to get rid of then the clap, and a lot more costly as well.

But despite their name, the risk of bedbugs lies in many other locations besides another’s bed. Stores, movie theaters, even subways — just thinking about it is enough to make you scratch.

Now comes word that you may catch the modern scourge just by working — that really adds insult to the injurious hours already required in Biglaw. A tipster has reported that a Biglaw office has bedbugs:

Greenberg Traurig has bed bugs! They are keeping a tight lid on things and everyone is forced to sit on my floor knowing there are bedbugs. They are scared of mass panic and bad publicity. No one wants to come in and sit in their offices because they are scared they will be bitten or bring home one of these critters. Management is doing a poor job in comforting us. ATL please help! It’s so scary having to sit here late at night and possibly having unwanted critter visitors with you! GtLAW, forget about bad publicity and take care of your employees!

Yikes! Listen, bedbugs can happen to even the most discerning person, it isn’t something to be ashamed of. In fact, the Metlife Building — where Greenberg Traurig has its New York office — has had them before, and will probably have them in the future. It is a fact, though an unsettling one, of modern city living. The best move is to be open and forthright with your employees, and take care of the problem as quickly as possible.

But here’s the thing: we first heard rumors about bedbugs in the New York office of Greenberg last week. We reached out to GT five days ago, but they were unable or unwilling to confirm the firm was dealing with bedbugs. And now the info from tipsters has come rolling in, as the firm finally seemed to acknowledge the issue to employees yesterday:

Bed bugs confirmed. Everyone is required to leave the office by 8:30 p.m. tonight so that exterminator can come.

NY office all floors have limited outbreaks. Today was the first time the firm officially commented on it to the whole office.

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Even other tenants of the building have heard about “isolated” outbreaks of the vermin. We reached out to the firm again, and have yet to hear back from them explaining the sequence of events or the steps they’ve taken to address the problem. But whatever the reasons behind the seemingly slow reaction, it is probably cold comfort to those employees dealing with bug bites, and the prospect of bringing those nasty critters home.

Let’s all take a second to remember a more innocent time, when this was the strongest association most of us had with bedbugs — and good luck trying to get that catchy song out of your head.

Earlier: Which Biglaw Firm Is Dealing With Bed Bugs?
A Bed Bug Outbreak In New York Amid A Heat Wave
MetLife Building Under Attack From Bedbugs: Four Law Firms Potentially Affected

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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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