Big Law Lawyers Are on TikTok. Their Firms Are Conflicted

TikTok and Big Law are a tricky mix for some associates and the elite firms where they work. Junior lawyers have recently clashed with their employers over TikTok use, highlighting generational shifts and conflicts concerns.

Eni Popoola left her job at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in March to continue as a beauty influencer to more than 271,000 TikTok followers. She exited after Cravath said firm policy bans employees from doing paid promotional deals for posts on the video sharing platform.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP associate Priscilla Hamilton also was warned by her firm against paid TikTok posts. Hamilton, who is still at Simpson Thacher, took to social media to detail the situation in a series of now-deleted videos.

“The traditional conservativeness and general sense of control over associate lives the partnership expects to have, that’s where it is kind of coming to a head in Big Law,” said Cece Xie , a former Morrison & Foerster lawyer who has more than 410,000 followers on TikTok.

Bonuses Are at Stake if Lawyers Don't Head to the Office at Some Big Law Firms

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is threatening to withhold bonus money from associates at the law firm who don’t show up to the office at least three days a week.

The Wall Street firm recently updated its employee handbook to state that it may consider office attendance when handing out annual and other discretionary bonuses, a source familiar with the situation confirmed.

“Attorneys who do not comply with this policy (as determined by the Firm) may be ineligible for a discretionary bonus or may have the amount of their discretionary bonus reduced,” the firm said in the updated employee handbook.

Simpson Thacher is not alone in trying to coax lawyers back to the office. Sidley Austin LLP told associates earlier this year that attendance?would factor?into bonuses. Big Law firms typically hand out annual bonus awards on a seniority-based scale, which last year topped out $115,000 in extra cash.

Stroock Seeks Merger Deal to Fend Off Worst-Case Scenario

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP has for months discussed possible mergers with other law firms, amid partner departures that risk threatening any deal and jeopardizing the firm’s future.

Stroock is in tie-up talks with Nixon Peabody LLP , but the firms have not reached an agreement. The Manhattan-based firm has also discussed a possible merger with Steptoe LLP , McGuireWoods LLP , and Squire Patton Boggs .

Stroock has been publicly linked to merger talks since a group of more than 40 lawyers left its strategically important restructuring practice for 普衡律师事务所 more than a year ago.

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