As close as we're gonna get to an April Fools story (RIP Legal Week’s Diary page)

Since hilarious April Fools stories aren't really our style - unless you're amused by Kafkaesque tales of endless SRA consultations - we're not going to do a spoof story today. But to give readers something lighter before they head off for the long weekend, I've dug up this parody from a few years ago, back before I killed off Legal Week's Diary page. Those with short memories or better things to do may need reminding that A&O had a brush with the tabloids for banning its staff from using Facebook at the time. Enjoy, and have a good Easter weekend.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disgracebook short of friends as staff are banned from 'harmless' A&O site

By Arlex Wrightarese

Facebook has been engulfed in controversy after the highly-respected social networking website this week attempted to ban staff from using Allen & Overy (A&O) while at work.

The company moved to clamp down on unauthorised use of the shadowy law firm after concerns that staff were obsessed with following developments on A&O's website, which has become cult viewing among hip dotcom professionals.

The site, the brainchild of secretive whizzkids Davey 'Boy' Morley and Guy Beringer, works as a secure network that allows members, who refer to themselves as 'associates', to upload surreal pictures such as light bulbs and post weird articles about Belgian securitisation.

Senior Facebook executives claimed that use of A&O was having a devastating impact on productivity as staff became hooked on the Spitalfield-based firm's hilarious jargon and excessive use of the word 'innovation'.

However, the move has provoked fury from Facebook staff, who argue that A&O is harmless fun and can even have business uses.

One Facebook staffer told Legal Week: "It's not fair to stop us using A&O. I've won loads of business after meeting work contacts. Once you've bonded with a fellow A&O fan, it really breaks the ice and you can get down to more serious subjects."

Another said: "This is ridiculous. A&O is a brilliantly witty spoof of a modern law firm. The soap opera in leveraged finance, the side-splitting 'Transparency in Law Firm Strategy' column and the 33-point core strategy... it's almost like a real law firm. There's absolutely no harm if hardworking staff want to unwind with a bit of A&O."

Some web commentators have also argued that Facebook's tough stance risks backfiring and that viewers would anyway soon migrate to newer, funnier sites, such as Linklaters' graduate recruitment blogs or SJ Berwin's cult freesheet PLUM.

However, a Facebook spokesperson said that the company was sticking firmly to its A&O ban, arguing that the site was "a dreadful waste of time and a sad indictment of modern youth".

He commented: "This kind of drivel may make law graduates smirk, but we've got a job to do."

Click here to follow Legal Week on Twitter