Bright Colors Help Some Lawyers, Both Male and Female, Command a Courtroom, Practitioners Say
As a young lawyer, Candace Komar dressed in a traditional, conservative style.
But when she made partner at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, she started experimenting with bright colors. And starting her own firm encouraged even more flamboyant fashion creativity. At one point, the matrimonial practitioner saw a red briefcase in the Philadelphia airport and thought to herself that it looked just right for a divorce lawyer, the Post-Gazette recounts. Since buying it, she’s gotten lots of compliments.
Komar’s fashion-forward thinking is not uncommon among other well-regarded attorneys in the Pittsburgh area, both male and female, even though the city isn’t regarded as one of the East Coast’s style centers. An informal survey by the newspaper quickly resulted in a list of local lawyers known for their snazzy attire.
While a lawyer can’t go far wrong in a well-tailored dark suit and highly polished shoes, bright colors and a bit of bling are popular among both sexes. Projecting confidence with personal style can be a plus with a jury, lawyers told the newspaper.
After carefully preparing her court outfits in advance along with her legal arguments in a homicide prosecution last summer, Assistant Public Defender Shelley Duff won a mistrial. She thinks her stiletto heels made a favorable impression on at least one juror.
“I had a chance to speak to the jury about the case and why they could not reach a verdict,” she tells the Post-Gazette. It made her day when, “in the middle of my conversation with them, this woman says, ‘I have to tell you that I couldn’t wait to see what you would be wearing every day and what shoes you would have on. I love all of your shoes!’”
