Biglaw, Technology

Biglaw Trend Alert: Say Goodbye To Gmail

The list of firms banning personal email at work is growing... when will your firm be on the list?

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Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo! mail… let’s pour a little out for our fallen homies.

A few weeks ago we brought you a story mentioning four Biglaw firms that had decided to block personal web-based email for computers on the firm network. Though each firm added their own twist to their policy, the gist was the same: no longer could associates spend the lulls in between prepping a privilege log checking their Gmail account and sending urgent emails to their wedding planner.

There was some gnashing of teeth and irritation from the rank and file, as they envisioned a world where they could no longer complain about traveling to their parents’ home from the relative privacy of Hotmail. But firms have legitimate security concerns, and more importantly, demanding clients. See, banks and large financial institutions had long ago made the move to block personal emails at work, and are now asking their law firms to do the same.

Enough with the why, let’s get down to the who? Below is the list of firms joining King & Spalding, Latham & Watkins, Mayer Brown, and WilmerHale on the no (personal) email express, as compiled by ATL’s intrepid network of tipsters.

Covington & Burling
Crowell & Moring
Debevoise & Plimpton
Greenberg Traurig
Hogan Lovells
Hughes Hubbard
McGuire Woods
Morgan Lewis
Morrison & Foerster
Norton, Rose & Fulbright
Shearman & Sterling
Skadden Arps
Steptoe & Johnson
Ulmer & Berne

We reached out to all of the firms on the above list and received the following comments.

Morgan Lewis spokesperson Despina Kartson:

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As has been covered in a number of recent articles, many clients are asking that their law firms block such access for data security reasons.  We appreciate the importance of the security of our clients’ information and have adopted policies — as have many of our clients and peers — designed to help reduce the risk of data breaches.

Statement from Morrison & Foerster:

The firm continuously reviews and enhances policies and data security measures to protect the firm and its clients. As a precaution, Morrison & Foerster has adopted new policies that restrict access to certain sites including web-based email accounts to ensure we take every reasonable measure to protect the data belonging to our firm and our clients.

All in all, the list is quite formidable, and I would be utterly unsurprised to learn additional firms had banned personal web-based email, or were in the process of amending their policies to do so. It seems this is the wave of the future; perhaps it is time to consider access to personal email a perk.

Earlier: Which Biglaw Firm Has Blocked Personal Email?

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