Law firm Allens Arthur Robinson recently took the moral high ground by not revealing details of the fate of two female secretaries who hit the headlines over a vitriolic cyber brawl that was forwarded around the legal and financial communities
Law firm Allens Arthur Robinson recently took the moral high ground by not revealing details of the fate of two female secretaries who hit the headlines over a vitriolic cyber brawl that was forwarded around the legal and financial communities.
Katrina Nugent and Melinda Bird hit the headlines when an email between them, about a missing packet of ham, some cheese slices and two slices of bread, was forwarded out of the firm and into the inboxes of lawyers, bankers and the press.
The now famous email exchange began when secretary Nugent emailed all senior associates, lawyers and support staff on level 19 of the Sydney office, asking whether anyone had taken the missing contents. Things soon turned nasty when an email about sandwich contents turned to relationships, hair colour, quality of apartments, car, salary and quantity of boyfriends. But it was when Bird forwarded the email to a lawyer in mergers and acquisitions that the exchange became dangerous, and was sent outside the firm.
While the press reported that the two young women had been sacked over the exchanges, Allens refused to officially confirm the claims, warning instead that it is a lesson to all companies and individuals about the improper use of email. In fact, it is highly unlikely that anyone at such a high profile organisation would be fired for the single inappropriate use of email. While it is clear the young women have in fact been fired, it is doubtful this was solely due to the email exchanges.
Otherwise, so too should be the involved lawyers, who actually sent the email outside the firm. While some will no doubt tout the unfairness of partnerships, telling tales of preferential treatment of lawyers and partners, it has become quite clear that the history of the two emailing women goes much deeper and nastier than this rather amusing and shockingly stupid email exchange.
But, while everyone who forwarded the email seemed to acknowledge how stupid the young women were for letting it happen, they didn’t seem to be taking on their own advice. If the original email can get into the hands of the press and others, so can your silly comments. Just be glad that we, too, took the moral high ground and decided not to print them.
Kate Gibbs is the editor of Human Resources’sister publication, Lawyers Weekly.
