Sneaking a peek

This NYLJ column caught my eye yesterday. In “Advice for the Lawlorn”, a sort of Dear Abby for lawyers, a job applicant worries that peeking at his BlackBerry in the middle of a final-round interview might have “derailed” his chances of getting a job with the firm. While the answer seemed self-evident to me (rule of thumb: turn off your phone in lecture halls, movie theaters and job interviews), the care that recruiting expert Ann Israel put into her response suggests that Derailed’s dilemma is far from uncommon.

Last month, Above the Law invited comments on “the strangest places and/or situations that you have sent and/or received Blackberry messages from”. The question stirred up the usual ATL bickering, with some commenters comparing the BlackBerry to a “leash” and suggesting that its ubiquitousness reflects “so much self-imposed importance,” while others defended it as a reasonable part of the BigLaw package: “I get a bunch of money to be available to my bosses and clients and I don't find that especially daunting. At the end of the day, checking your BB takes a minute — literally."

Among the situations where folks claim (even boast) to have pulled out their BlackBerries: hospital delivery rooms, courtrooms, public restrooms, while driving, while honeymooning, while running on a treadmill and even while sleeping (BB set to vibrate under the pillow).