Blogs & email: lawyers don't get it.
Monday, June 5, 2006 at 18:13 This one made me laugh but still it shows the power of blogs and e-mails and how some lawyers don't get it.
Boing Boing received a letter on Saturday from a lawyers office called Baker & McKenzie in London telling them to watch out not to stream FIFA World Cup matches from their site. This is what is called a pre-emptive strike and it looks like the first on in the blogosphere.
The letter goes on:
"Baker & McKenzie will be "actively monitoring your website ... to identify unlawful activity and will, if necessary, take appropriate action to ensure the protection of Infront's (their client's) rights of those licenses."
Even better, Boing Boing links to a story in The Mail on Sunday about a ketchup incident that is taking on PR nightmare proportions.
In short (but read the full article, it is hilarious) a secretary from Baker & McKenzie accidentally spilled ketchup on the trousers of one of the Senior Associates of the firm. The guy can't find anything else to do than to send her an e-mail to request 4£ for the removal of the stain... Her reply e-mail was of course copied to the whole floor and has now reached the City of London and the press.
Reply from the firm:
Last night Baker & Mackenzie said: "It is a private matter between two individual members of staff that has clearly got out of hand. The matter is being investigated and we cannot comment further." It refused to say whether any disciplinary action would be taken against any members of staff.
The chart below shows that the story (and Baker & McKenzie) is starting to receive attention.
What does this tell us...?
Pre-emptive strikes will work but will get some good public coverage on the web. I believe it is a bit overzealous from the firm to go around and scare people off when they have done nothing wrong. Send them a letter + sue them if they have broken the law but otherwise take a discrete approach.
Secondly, the response from Baker & McKenzie re: the ketchup "issue" should have been along the following lines: "It is a private matter between two individual members of staff that has clearly got out of hand, that's all. Both employees will solve the issue respectfully and as from this day forward we'll banish all ketchup bottles from the office... " Don't make this bigger than it is...
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