From wig-wearing duffers to power-dressed spivs on LA Law, the legal industry has always been a rich source of stereotypes for television. Today’s version would doubtless be that grey-suited young assistant with black-rimmed eyes, wielding his or her BlackBerry ostentatiously on the short midnight stroll from the office to Holmes Place. We have all seen them, at least in our mind’s eye.
But in truth, for most large corporate law firms, fee earners’ ‘honeymoon period’ with mobile e-mail is drawing to a close. Ownership of that small, ugly lump of black plastic is no longer a status symbol; it has become a plain, utilitarian tool despite the marketing industry’s best efforts. The analogy that equates lawyers’ dependence on mobile e-mail with a serious smack habit may be tired and over-egged, but there is no denying its near-universal appeal to law firms and their clients.
