A Clifford Chance Lingerie Allowance? Blog Investigates Report
A Clifford Chance spokesperson is adding some context to a newspaper report that says the law firm is giving its lawyers a 90 pound lingerie and blouse allowance if they work later than 11 p.m.
The Guardian report on the allowance said it “may or may not be the most reliable indicator yet that the credit crunch is over.” An online currency converter says 90 pounds translates to about $148.
Above the Law was quick to follow up with a Clifford Chance spokesperson, who said the allowance is part of the firm’s reimbursement for lawyers who are working late far from home and need a hotel room. “Sadly,” the blog said, “it turns out that what sounds like one of the greatest Biglaw perks ever is in fact just a pedestrian acknowledgment of basic hygiene.”
The spokesperson gave this statement to the blog: “If an attorney is working hard and working late—perhaps at a client’s office that is miles away from their home—then the firm will reimburse them for a hotel room. If they need a shower or a shave or, yes, a new pair of ‘knickers,’ the firm will pay for that. Frankly we think it’s what any good firm or company would do.”
