_{It's ROF of course we're writing about this.}

CMS and Hogan Lovells are making waves with social media posts designed to show off the perks of life in their firms.

The junior lawyers comandeered to star in the TikTok clips appear to be minting a new #lawkward genre by acting in an intentionally (ROF hopes) stiff manner.

“We work for CMS Edinburgh…of course we have a view of the castle”, begins a CMS presenter as she gestures stagily out of the window to a soundtrack of jaunty Celtic music.

@cmslaw.life We work at ✨CMS Edinburgh✨ #cmslaw #cmslife #edinburgh #scotland #weworkat #corporatelife #lawyer #lawfirm #law #lawyerlife #lawtok #scottish #fyp #trend #foryou #solicitor ♬ Celtic Flashy Celtic Music - Masucu

“We work for CMS Edinburgh…of course we have jellybeans on tap”, says a colleague radiating kidnapped vibes.

“We work for CMS Edinburgh…of course we have Irn-Bru in the fridge”, continues her co-presenter as she retrieves a can of Scotland’s national beverage.

"We work for CMS Edinburgh…of course we have paintings of the castle”, the clip concludes, in just the sort of anticlimax that Lawkward demands.

Although it brings to mind the patriotic Burness Paull video which featured bagpipes, haggis, whisky and more kilts than Culloden (RIP), CMS’s film appears more self-aware. 

It is just one of a whole bank of clips the firm has dropped on TikTok as a means of popularising and humanising itself in the eyes of students.

Posts have more likelihood of appearing on a viewer's feed if they tap into viral gimmicks like the ‘of course’ format. CMS’s canny use of the craze, together with the self-effacing depiction of the office, enabled it to rack up 54,000 views for its video, which is about 50,000 more than its other clips.

HogLove has also piggybacked the format, although its version appears to be a pointed parody of CMS's effort.

“We’re Hogan Lovells trainees…of course we only use Hogan Lovells branded mugs”, declares one of the firm's lawyers.

“We’re Hogan Lovells trainees… of course we follow the firm’s social media pages”, says a second trainee.

"We’re Hogan Lovells trainees… of course we have branded rubber ducks", her co-host continues.

“We’re Hogan Lovells trainees... of course we watch the Defined by Knowledge series”, says the other trainee, mustering an impression of discomfort so convincing that viewers may be unsure whether they’re watching a knowing pisstake of CMS or a hostage crisis.

“We’re Hogan Lovells trainees… of course we start the day with a hole in one”, says the first trainee as he deliberately misses a putt.

“We’re Hogan Lovells trainees... of course we play table tennis in our lunch break”, his co-host explains, before she smacks the ball into the wall and it’s revealed she is by herself.

“We’re Hogan Lovells trainees… of course we get asked to feature on the social channels”, the clip concludes.

@hoganlovellsgradsuk Our trainees in our Birmingham office had to hop on this trend. Of course they find HL ducks in their office! 🦆💚 #HoganLovells #OfCourse #DefinedByDifference #LegalJourney #Law #fyp #GraduateRecruitment ♬ PLAYOFFS - HYMN & Slip.stream

And the audience is watching, in their thousands, although some of them are taking a while to click with the profession getting down with the kids. 

One viewer commented, “I need to work for CMS Edinburgh!”, but others asked, “Where’s all the 🐓”, “this makes me violently ill”, and "I didn’t see one photocopier… so I don’t believe it". Killjoys. ROF applauds their creativity.

When firms like you for a role, they ping you direct on LawyerUp, available on the App Store and Google Play.