It’s
never
a
good
look
for
a
Biglaw
firm
when
something
goes
from
internal
gossip
to
reportable
news.
But
what
probably
started
as
some
relatable,
if
nosy,
office
whispering
has
devolved
into
a
whole
thing
in
the
South
African
offices
of
Norton
Rose
Fulbright.
It
seems
some
enterprising
associate(s)
discovered
they
could
access
confidential
emails
and
other
sensitive
internal
documents
that
were
saved,
but
not
locked,
on
the
firm’s
document
management
platform.
Law.com
International
has
the
IT-specs:
Norton
Rose bought a
license
for
iManage’s
full
product
suite
in
the
early
2000s
after
it
switched
from
rival
software
Hummingbird,
citing
the
need
for
a
robust
system
architecture
and
collaboration
functionality.
FileSite,
a
major
collaborative
function
of
the
iManage
package,
gives
staff
access
to
their
colleagues’
emails
and
folders—except
when
a
digital
lock
is
activated,
according
to
Norton
Rose
employees.
Some
of
the
directors
and
other
lawyers
who
are
not
tech-savvy
do
not
usually
activate
the
necessary
privacy
measures,
they
added.
When
the
firm
figured
out
that
associates
could,
and
apparently
did,
access
these
confidential
docs,
they
went
into
damage
control
mode.
There
was
an
internal
meeting:
According
to
sources,
the
management
team
held
a
brief
meeting
with
a
group
of
junior
lawyers
at
the
firm
on
October
28,
where
it
gave
those
implicated
in
the
IT
probe
until
midday
on
November
1
to
disclose
the
amount
of
information
they
accessed,
the
frequency
of
access
and
what
they
did
with
the
information.
They
were
told
those
who
came
forward
with
full
disclosure
would
be
offered
forgiveness
and
leniency,
but
those
who
withheld
further
information
about
their
involvement
could
face
disciplinary
action,
according
to
someone
close
to
the
matter.
At
the
meeting,
the
junior
attorneys
were
reportedly
told,
“There
can
be
no
excuse
for
reading
something
pertinently
marked
as
confidential
and
which
was
not
addressed
to
you.”
And
it
was
followed
up
with
an
email
from
the
firm
CEO
that
read,
“An
internal
investigation
has
confirmed
that
some
associates
and
candidate
attorneys
indeed
accessed
information
and
directors’
non-matter
folders
over
a
projected
period
of
time.
We
have
an
extensive
list
of
who
accessed
what.”
But
despite
saying
they
had
the
list
of
who
accessed
what
and
when,
associates
were
still
urged
to
come
forward
if
they’d
done
so.
All
of
this
has
created
some
understandable
tension
at
the
firm.
An
insider
told
Law.com,
“People
are
scared
and
anxious.
They
also
feel
that
they
are
being
treated
unfairly.”
Another
NRF
source
pointed
the
finger
not
at
the
snooping
junior
attorneys
but
at
the
senior
attorneys
who
didn’t
protect
the
confidential
material.
Another
lawyer
involved
explained
that
the
firm’s
policy
specifies
that
it
is
the
responsibility
of
the
person
saving
a
document
on
iManage
to
secure
it.
“It’s
not
the
associates’
fault
for
seeing
it
when
it
is
saved
on
a
public
platform,”
the
lawyer
said.
A
firm
spokesperson
confirmed
that
some
attorneys
had
accessed
internal
documents
but
said
no
client
information
was
compromised.
They
also
said
the
matter
is
resolved.
Which,
it
may
be!
But
some
of
those
bad
feelings
about
how
the
matter
was
handled
are
sure
to
linger.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].
Staci
Chris
