8100 Pearls before swine

While most lawyers symbiotically fused with their BlackBerrys generations ago, Clifford Chance partners and associates are less keen on them. After all, they haven’t received an upgrade for years and are still stuck on the chunky, blue and plasticky BlackBerry 8700 series.

Tulkinghorn has observed that most other firms’ BlackBerrys have 1.3 or 2 megapixel cameras, MP3 ringtones, MMS picture and video messaging, and ­expandable flash memory.

Linklaters lawyers, for example, get the choice of ditching the 8700 for sexy slimline 8100 Pearls, Freshfielders are on the smoking-hot 8300 Curve, and Allen & Overy is on the 8100 Pearl range and up. It’s enough to boil the proud blood of a Clifford Chance partner.

But then again, supposes Tulkinghorn, if everybody at the firm got a new BlackBerry, that could very well signal the end of taxis and the staff canteen...