Speaking of office attire, Obiter spent an enlightening morning among the T-shirted and bare-ankled denizens of the White Collar Factory, a self-styled ‘iconic’ and ‘future-proof’ office at Silicon Roundabout in Shoreditch, London.

New-model legal services provider Lexoo had gathered the GCs of three of the most exciting ‘unicorn’ startups to talk about their legal strategies. The event generated insights about the cultural fit between the tech startup world and old-style ‘big law’.

Some hints for firms: packing meetings with partners and copying dozens of recipients into every email won’t go down well. Neither will turning up at a client’s premises in a suit and tie – unless you want to set tongues wagging: ‘Uh-oh: someone’s going to get fired.’ 

Oh, and if you’re going for a job interview with anyone describing themselves as a tech startup, be prepared to be asked: ‘What’s 13 squared’?* It’s the current in-vogue choice for testing how candidates deal with unexpected questions. Apparently 30% just give up or ask if they can use a calculator.

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