Catherine Baksi meets the brains behind an irreverent web site for young city lawyers

When young City lawyers say the words ‘roll on Friday’ these days, they are just as likely to be talking about their favourite Web site as they are about their desperate longing for the week to end. For the uninitiated, RollOnFriday is a cheeky and irreverent site that provides news and gossip on the profession.


Set up by two young solicitors from City firm Ashurst – Piers Warburton and Matthew Rhodes – the site celebrates its fifth birthday this month. Actually it has two birthdays: the first, in June, celebrates the date Mr Rhodes left Ashurst to set up the site; and the second, in September, when the site was officially launched.


The idea came during the dot-com boom, they explain. Unimpressed by some sites that were exploding on to the scene with huge amounts of costly advertising, selling products such as pyjamas for dogs, they felt they could do better.


Mr Warburton says: ‘We wanted to create a site on a shoestring budget that people would actually want to use and enjoy using. We asked ourselves what we knew about, and the answer was being a lawyer in the City of London.’


Mr Rhodes takes up the story: ‘We realised that most young City lawyers actually have quite a lot in common. They are interested in their own firms and in other firms, they want to know where to drink, what to do at the weekend, and they want to have a laugh. There is no reason why news shouldn’t be fun.’


Five years on, they are still clearly excited about the project and talk animatedly about it – usually at the same time. Mr Warburton enthuses: ‘We launched with most of the current pages. Its core was the “inside info” section, which gives reviews of firms and details of fee levels.’


Mr Rhodes interjects: ‘It was aimed at young lawyers up to about three years’ PQE [post-qualification experience] and pre-trainee students, who look at the site when applying for training contracts.’


One of the most popular – and some may say cruel – aspects of the site is the ‘glamorous solicitor’ page, which features an unflattering shot of an aesthetically challenged lawyer every week. Mr Rhodes says: ‘The glamorous solicitor page was there at the start and has always been hugely popular. Initially, we were worried we would run out of glamorous solicitors, but five years on our supply has not diminished.’


The news page is a light-hearted take on the week’s legal news and gossip. The lawyers cite two stories as particular favourites. The first, involving one of the City’s largest firms, concerned the alleged disappearance of a giant Toblerone scheduled to be awarded as a prize during an icebreaker at the firm’s annual conference. Proceedings were suspended until the chocolate was traced. It eventually emerged that a junior associate from one of the firm’s European offices had been seen with the confectionery in the lift – and was called to explain himself in front of the conference. His assertion that he had taken it for safe keeping was met with disbelief, particularly when it emerged that he had actually taken a bite.


The second story revealed the recent mystery of an individual at a top national firm, who – according to the Web site – is moved to urinate in the shoes of female members of staff.


The site also offers practical services handy for the City slicker, such as a currency converter, language translator, accommodation finder, guide to spending free time, and a world clock that tells the time in 23 countries (useful for those global all-night deals).


In addition, RollOnFriday has a careers service where lawyers can create an anonymous curriculum vitae that can be accessed by firms. The firm can then leave a message for the solicitor if it is interested.


Then there is the discussion board, which provides a lot of entertainment for participant and mere surfer alike.


It provides a forum where members using pseudonyms – Mongolian Death Worm, Pingu the Penguin and Fluffy Cruella, to name a few – chat about important topics such as men who use purses, ‘Fifth Gear’ presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson, and favourite Famous Five characters. At the core, though, are more than a few moans about life as a City solicitor.


The discussion board has a few strict rules. Members are warned that the page is a [pop star] Daniel Bedingfield-free zone. If his name is included in a message, it is edited out and replaced with stars.


Perhaps surprisingly, the boys do not get in trouble over the content of their site. Mr Rhodes has a theory as to why: ‘We are not nasty or vindictive, just a bit cheeky. We’re not out to give anyone a kicking, but if you behave badly, like the firm that fired all its trainees by e-mail, we will expose you.’



Mr Warburton agrees: ‘We will have a dig where we feel it’s due, but on the whole I think we are fair and we have extremely good relationships with law firms.’


With 2.4 million hits last month, the site is undoubtedly popular. The pair coyly admits that advertising does make a bit of money. Mr Warburton says: ‘The company is doing well, but there is no chance of either of us buying a private jet just yet.’


They are developing their recruitment services and working on other services to be launched shortly. But Mr Warburton reassures users: ‘The core will always be the same – the news, gossip and poor-quality jokes, will never change.’


So, take a peep. If you are a young lawyer, join in the fun – and if you are a senior partner, log on and see what they are saying about you. But whoever you are, roll on Friday.


Link: www.rollonfriday.com