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Law Practice Management

N.Y. Law Firms Say No to Men in Shorts, But One Lawyer Disagrees

Posted Jul 31, 2008 7:15 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

Some white-collar employers are allowing men to wear shorts to work, but apparently New York law firms aren’t among them.

The New York Times contacted Manhattan banks, law firms, stock brokerages and hospitals, and found that none of them permit shorts.

That’s not the case, though, at Salt Lake City advertising agency Richter7, where shorts are a requirement in the summer. The Times declares that it is one of several companies allowing white-collar workers to march into the office in shorts. The article shows photos of men attired in shorts suits and black tied shoes, as well as shorts, blazers and loafers.

At least one lawyer is daring to expose his legs. Manhattan real estate lawyer Hyman Gross, now in his 90s, first proposed wearing shorts to work 15 years ago, only to hear his boss tell him that the office was not a beach club. Last year he decided it was time to embrace shorts. He told the Times he wears them “to and fro” as well as to the ballet and opera.

The Times caught up with him at Bryant Park, “nattily attired in a black polo shirt from Target, a pair of sandy-colored camouflage shorts he bought in a shop in a subway arcade, and a Panama topper from Arnold Hatters.” (He is the sixth photo in the Times’ slide show.)

No one has told Gross he can’t wear shorts. “And if anyone decides they don’t like it or they won’t take me, it’s their loss,” he said.

Comments

1.

Smith
Aug 1, 2008 3:36 AM CST

Oh, dear. There’s no law saying you can’t make an ass of yourself - or that anyone else has to like it.

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2.

Rob
Aug 1, 2008 4:01 AM CST

Well, when I’m in my 90’s nobody’s going to tell me if I can or can’t wear shorts.  On the other hand, I really hope not to be practicing law by then either.

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3.

Joe
Aug 1, 2008 4:02 AM CST

When I’m in my 90s I’ll wear Bermuda shorts to work, too.

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4.

BC
Aug 1, 2008 6:39 AM CST

I’m just glad that in his 90s he has enough sense to put shorts on, and not walk around in depends.

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5.

Bill
Aug 1, 2008 6:50 AM CST

If I make it to 90, I’ll wear whatever a I damn well please.  And dear lord I hope I’m not practicing law…

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6.

Jen DC
Aug 1, 2008 6:53 AM CST

He still had a boss at 85? There’s something wrong… I mean, he should’ve been head of his own division, right?

And let’s just tell the truth: No man looks good in shorts, no sox and dress shoes. Period. Some nice Italian loafers, I’ll give it to you. But the picture that goes along with the Times article, those guys look like idiots.

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7.

JW
Aug 1, 2008 7:30 AM CST

I wonder if there might not be a Title VII claim to be made.  Women are oft permitted to wear skirts, i.e. expose their legs. In fact, I believe that some clothing articles might appear to be skirts but have separate leg holes; the divider is merely concealed by loose fabric.  Men, on the other hand, are not permitted to wear clothing that would similarly permit them to expose their legs.  It has its precedent in a similar New York civil rights matter permitting women to walk around topless so long as men were so permitted.

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8.

Wayne Weightman
Aug 1, 2008 7:49 AM CST

I’m a guy.  I wear shorts with Aloha Shirts everyday, all day—except when I am meeting a prospective client.  I don’t want to freak them out too much before they retain me.  Once they get to know me and see the quality of my work, I think they would be cool with me wearing a dress.

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9.

Sue
Aug 1, 2008 8:05 AM CST

why not? we could lower the a/c a bit if people could wear shorts to work. save a lot of energy and maybe the planet.

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10.

Dan
Aug 1, 2008 9:12 AM CST

JW (#6) - I made the same argument… In second grade, fighting my elementary school’s dress code.


Grow up, people.  The uniform is part of the job.  If you want to wear shorts to work be a lifeguard.

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11.

Bill
Aug 1, 2008 9:15 AM CST

What sense does it make to wear shorts with a long sleeve shirt, a suit coat, or a tie?  That’s not any cooler than long pants and a short-sleeve shirt and you look like a dork.  No one wants to hire Little Lord Fauntleroy for their lawyer.

If you’re going to wear shorts because they’re cooler, at least have as much sense as Geezer Lawyer and wear a short-sleeve shirt with them.

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12.

Heavy
Aug 1, 2008 9:16 AM CST

Great reporting job again ABA.  What a complete waste of time.  I bet at least the amount of my annual ABA dues went into making and posting this.  The email newsletter is full of crap like this every single week.

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13.

NYC
Aug 1, 2008 9:49 AM CST

The Scots don’t seem to have this problem.  But then again, they wear kilts, not shorts.

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14.

William
Aug 1, 2008 10:20 AM CST

More power to Mr. Gross.  If he’s still practicing law in his 90s then he should wear what he wants.  I saw the Times photos and they were hilarious, but then those guys weren’t 90 either. 

A few short decades ago those short suits were worn only by children age 9 and under.  Any self-respecting adolescent would not have been caught dead wearing those clothes.  I know because my parents made me wear exactly such a suit when I was 13 and my peers teased me mercilessly.

I also saw a similar suit on the Ralph Lauren website worn by a fairly younger man.  I think these stories are interesting and amusing to read.  It brings back of a lot of memories.

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15.

Sue
Aug 1, 2008 10:21 AM CST

OMG, what happened to all the MEN??

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16.

R
Aug 1, 2008 10:30 AM CST

Ever been to Bermuda?

Ever heard of Bermuda shorts?

That’s the classic business attire for men there and Bermuda has managed to become one of the leading financial capitals of the world.  Manhatten also fancies itself as something of a financial capital and is an island about the same size as Bermuda so it might take a lesson.

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17.

Bill
Aug 1, 2008 10:36 AM CST

Heavy—you sound hot under the collar.  Maybe you should be wearing shorts?

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18.

Janet
Aug 1, 2008 10:50 AM CST

Judging from the NYT’s pictures, there seems to be a connection between guys wearing fashion shorts and shaving their legs.  Hmmm.

Speaking only for myself, men trying to look like 10-year olds doesn’t do much for me.

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19.

Hans
Aug 1, 2008 11:16 AM CST

R. may be on to something.  If you go to Liechtenstein—that center of international finance and tax avoidance—you see an awful lot of men in lederhosen.

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20.

prosecute1996
Aug 1, 2008 11:34 AM CST

The real sartorial enemy of all men is the necktie!  For courts and law offices to require such a ridiculous piece of cloth to worn around a man’s neck for him to be considered in business attire is asinine.  I’ll live with long slacks instead of shorts for modesty’s sake, but what earthly purpose does a necktie have?!  Why am I not considered dressed for court without one?  Women wear pantsuits to court, but don’t wear a necktie—hell, women don’t even wear pantyhose/girdles/slips anymore (Good for them and God bless ‘em), so why are men still enforcing the dumb necktie practice on themselves?

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21.

R
Aug 1, 2008 12:37 PM CST

Ugh.

The New York Times picture of the guy with his grey “short suit” is priceless. The guy looks like Pee Wee Herman with some SERIOUS high-water pants. But I salute him for his utter fearlessness: he must attract snickers wherever he goes…

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22.

Pee Wee
Aug 1, 2008 1:24 PM CST

To those who don’t like the look, I say “I know you are, but what am I?”

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23.

BC
Aug 1, 2008 2:06 PM CST

I just looked at the picture for the first time.  I have three comments: (1) They look rediculous; (2) OMG; and (3) Specifically to the gentlman on the far right, Nice Man Purse…

If I am the head of a company and I am looking for outside counsel, and any of these three show up, I’m thinking none of them are going to get hired.

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24.

Silky
Aug 1, 2008 3:04 PM CST

Don’t hate on neckties.  If you think neckties are passe or a nuisance then you can join the ranks of the working class. Quit your white collar job and revel with them in their shared contempt for those of us who take pride in our ability to appear professional and competent by learning to tie our own ties and wear them to complete the look that clients and managers expect.

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25.

Jerry
Aug 1, 2008 3:57 PM CST

#21 - It’s not a man purse, it’s European.

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26.

Al Tidom
Aug 1, 2008 7:08 PM CST

Leave the man alone. He’s an alter-cocker (jewish for old man).  If he wants to wear shorts ,he can.  The only thing is he may be a pisher, which needs no further explanation.

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27.

Joyce Krutick Craig
Aug 1, 2008 7:45 PM CST

I remember not being permitted to wear a pants suit when I first started law school in 1969.  Later on, after it had become acceptible I remember a NY County ADA commenting ON THE RECORD when I wore a skirt that it was the first time he had been able to “observe that Mrs. Barlow (my name at the time) had two ambulatory appendages.” 
We attorneys should stop making such a fuss over how each of us dress and care more about how we function as attorneys both ethically and in terms of our competence!

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28.

Hmm
Aug 2, 2008 7:49 AM CST

I have been privy to see an attorney wearing a “Short Sleeved Suit.” He was an older gentleman that, I think, had his suits tailored. He always wore long pants and a tie with his short sleeve suit. 

Irrespective of his uniform, he was a fine lawyer.  It was one of those situations where you would think that he looks funny but is on to something because it is hot and humid. 

He would not sweat while everyone else would be wiping their brow.

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29.

Knows the Lingo
Aug 2, 2008 9:46 PM CST

Sorry, Jerry (#23), it’s a man purse; or, rather, an old man purse.

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30.

Hank S.
Aug 3, 2008 12:10 PM CST

About these so-called “casual Fridays” still in vogue at some offices, which allow men to appear without a tie. If it’s so great on Friday, why not add Thursday, and possibly Wednesday,Tuesday and Monday?

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31.

Rick
Aug 3, 2008 11:01 PM CST

“What earlthly purpose does a necktie have?”

A tie serves to hide your humanity.

Mostly, it’s a vestigial holdover of Christian puritanism.  If you consider all of the many layers in “formal” clothing, the function of each successive layer is to obscure any exposed skin not covered by the previous layers, and to hide any openings (or closures) in the next layer down, so as to eliminate that wretched suggestion that there may actually be a wicked human animal underneath.  The flies, plackets, cuffs, and collars are designed to conceal the suggestive zippers, buttons, and laces of our clothing.  The tie is the “finishing” touch that has evolved to cover the buttons on our shirts.  Note that a shirt worn *formally* with a bowtie has a concealed placket; the buttons are obscured by a second placket.

“Formal” clothing is designed to ensure that nothing but your face is exposed.  (Gloves are a relatively recent abandonment.)  Of course, the face is the window to your soul, so it must be covered.  Even facial hair is eschewed in contemporary “formal” settings.  Heaven forfend you should hide your evil intent behind WHISKERS!  (In most jurisdictions, it is a crime to appear in public in a mask that obscures your identity and/or voice.)

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32.

K.
Aug 3, 2008 11:45 PM CST

Kudos to Mr. Gross and anyone else who dares to break or bend our pointless conventions of “sartorial rigidity” (to borrow Mr. Gross’s phrase).
I’m a female lawyer, in court pretty close to every day for the past few years, and I have NEVER worn pantyhose.  No one has ever commented on it except for a few female attorney peers who say they wish they dared to follow my lead.

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