Attention managing partners: Do you like the idea of your associates using valuable bandwidth — both mental and electronic — to play Scrabulous or “poke” their friends on Facebook?

Allen & Overy did not. “We wanted to have our systems clear for client work and document storage,” says Kenneth Rivlin, a New York-based partner. A&O tried to ban Facebook use by employees in May 2007 but an associate insurrection convinced management to back down.