An internal spat emerged at Norton Rose Fulbright this week between firmwide management and a regional leader stemming from the firm’s guidelines on speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The disagreement has shined a light on the potential consequences of governing speech within a law firm in the internet age, as a war takes place in the global spotlight.

On Monday, media outlets reported that Norton Rose Fulbright sent out an internal memo prohibiting its lawyers from commenting on the sanctions implemented against Russia. Shortly after, Walied Soliman, chair of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, posted a message on LinkedIn and Twitter contrary to the firm’s instructions.