A recent April Fools’ Day prank played by New York-based law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges sensationally backfired, generating international media coverage and an apology to all staff from the executive partner, Barry Wolf. 

The firm told employees that it was bringing in a new policy eliminating work emails during the night, weekends and holidays. The premise being that work-free weekends, evenings and holidays were such laughable concepts that everyone would know it was a joke. But they didn’t.