‘Abysmal’ Associate Attire Leads to Fashion Counseling

Law Firms

‘Abysmal’ Associate Attire Leads to Fashion Counseling

Posted Jan 31, 2008, 07:05 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

The generational divide is playing out in law firm fashion wars, with younger lawyers favoring business casual and even yoga pants and older lawyers tending to wear more traditional business attire.

Some associates are resisting suggestions to improve their attire, with career ramifications, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other firms are taking steps to teach their associates about dressing well.

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft reportedly sent a note to employees asking them to change out of their snow boots after some associates wore their Ugg boots all day long, according to the story. Winston & Strawn went further, inviting a personal shopper to talk to associates about dressing for work and an etiquette counselor to talk about grooming as well as the rules of social interaction.

Sixty-year-old Winston & Strawn managing partner Tom Mills told the newspaper he favors Brioni suits and just can’t understand why some associates making $160,000 a year show up in jeans. "I share the lament and disgust about the general level of associates' attire," he told the newspaper. “I think it's abysmal."

Renee Brissette, a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, told the newspaper that her law firm passed over a brilliant associate for a plum assignment because he had refused suggestions to improve his attire. Instead the job went to someone who was more professional looking. Brissette told the newspaper she wears Nanette Lepore suits, described as “unmistakably feminine without being inappropriately flirty.”

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Posted by mcpearle - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 6 hours, 5 minutes ago

I am utterly charmed by the comments of both Mr. Mills and Ms. Brissette. Some—however few—occasions call for a suit, but is the office really one of them? At 60, Mr. Mills is a boomer whose generation minted its own form of anarchy, yet he marvels that anyone could have a better use for any part of a $160,000 salary than a $2500+ Brioni suit. And Ms. Brissette’s comments lead us to believe that no matter how brilliant you and your work are, the smart kid who is best coiffed, shod, and attired gets the good stuff. I wonder if the client knows the firm’s criteria for assigning cases and projects, and whether that’s an affirmative defense for the appeal.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to lace up my Docs and get working on that appeal…
Posted by J Murphy - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 5 hours ago

I disagree with mcpearle above. The ad hominem attack doesn’t justify any position. I think the attire controversy revolves around respect for clients. While some clients may expect or prefer a lawyer who dresses “down to earth,“ others, particularly corporate clients, make value judgments based on appearance and equate that to success, detail orientation and other intangibles. It’s deficient to assume that the concern of a law firm should be employee-centric, it should be client-centric while maximizing employee comfort within the bounds of the firm culture and the restrictions of client expectations.
Posted by Lazer Wolf - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 3 hours, 30 minutes ago

A Brioni suit doesn’t cover up the fact that Mr. Mills looks like a corpse despite only being in his 50’s. Seriously, take a look at Mr. Mills picture on the W&S website and check out what appears to be the body double for the Crypt Keeper. But hey, glad you have your Brioni suits!!
Posted by Mike Hunt - 9 months, 3 weeks, 10 hours, 17 minutes ago

I dress OK, but not like the prissy guys with designer underwear. I always think it’s whats between your ears that count. But to some extent, you can’t get business coming thru the door to be impressed with you if you’re a slob. Maybe I’m lucky I work in the public sector where we don’t have to worry about paying clients. I can wear what I want, as long as it’s clean and no jeans. And on bad weather days, I’ve left my hiking boots on all day and no one gives a hoot. Of course, there should be some limits. We had a woman who fortunately left who always wore the same baggy potato sack dress, and didn’t launder it very often. It smelled bad. No one wanted to stand behind her in the elevator. She could have used counseling, but she knew someone in the supervisor’s office. Believe it or not, she got married and had a couple of kids, so someone evidently could take the smell. Not me.
Posted by AJ - 9 months, 3 weeks, 9 hours, 9 minutes ago

How about a happy medium?

I felt a little strange at my new job at first—business casual—but on a day to day basis, I’m sitting at a desk working on transactional matters. I speak with clients on the phone, or meet them in person off-site.

If they happen to show up, I have wing-tips, a dress shirt, tie, and a belt hanging on my door for a quick change (like Clark Kent to Superman).

Unless you’re meeting clients, then I say go for comfort, but don’t dress like a shlump.
Posted by Partner - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 52 minutes ago

You wouldn’t buy a Mercedes from a guy in a t-shirt. Corporate clients don’t want to buy their legal services from someone similarily attired. People have a mindset about what their lawyer should look and act like - - - an adept lawyer recognizing this reality should live up to that. Moreover, professional dress begets a professional attitude. Granted, there are days when showing up in chinos is more condusive to working on an appellate brief all day; however, that should be the exception rather than the rule. Finally, it’s been my experience that when the attorneys show up looking like their going to a tailgate, the support staff end up looking exponentially worse. Like it or not, when your client unexpectedly shows up to your office and sees how everyone looks, he or she develops some thoughts about your work product - - - sloppy dress, sloopy work.
Posted by Lee - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 48 minutes ago

I work at a small Plaintiff’s & Famiily Law shop - it’s suits and ties everyday. I meet with clients or go to court daily, and I could not imagine not wearing a suit every day. Everyone who I know who work at smaller plaintiff shops dresses the same way. Doing what I do, there can be no other way. I guess at a big firm that is how it works - I don’t know, I’ve never worked at one.

As far as I’m concerned, this article is further evidence, in my view, that the ABA Journal should rename itself Biglaw Journal. What small firm associate, in any practice or in any city, makes $160,000? I’ve never heard of it.
Posted by Jessie S - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 43 minutes ago

Ms. Brissette should step it up a little - Nanette Lepore looks like a K-Mart sweatsuit when running with the likes of Brioni or custom made suits that many male lawyers wear to the office. How about law firms that want to exude this level of classy dressing provide a clothing stipend and referrals to haberdashers so that male and female lawyers alike go out and invest in $2,000-a-pop custom made suits? It’s as much to do about marketing the firm and preserving a certain image as anything.
Posted by melissa - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 43 minutes ago

I’m surprised none of the larger firms include a personal shopper and clothing allowance as part of associate benefits. The firm can negotiate a volume discount with a nice retailer and outline and define what is appropriate business attire with the personal shoppers, and then have some input into the business and business casual attire that their associates wear through the personal shopper. I think this would be most helpful for brand new associates, particularly those coming right out of law school who have never had a real job before. Establishing a business wradrobe is expensive, and this way the firm helps to establish good dressing habits with their associates early.

My husband and I are both attorneys, both make pretty good money, in a mid-size city in the south, but with our student loans, and living expenses, and trying to save, spending money on our clothes isn’t our top priority. If part of my benefits package required me to spend money on my business attire, I think the firm and I would both benefit. I can’t imagine trying to pay loans, rent and living expenses in manhattan.

I think a happy medium is correct. No need to be buttoned up when sitting in your own office all day, but at the same time, most firms have clients in the office and even if you aren’t personally meeting with them, you want your office to have a professional appearance.

p.s. although they were extremely hip, Uggs have always been ugly, and completely inappropriate for the office.
Posted by Teej - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 41 minutes ago

Let us first bypass the absurdity that a graduate of law school, with zero practical knowledge or experience is making $160k and focus on the attire. I am a solo and my clients relate to me better because I don’t have a fancy office of $2500 suit on. I think those that espouse that a suit somehow makes you a better lawyer or more respectful of clients are the same people who don’t mind billing their clients at $500 per hour and rounding up the billable time. I think they also underestimate the business clients’ ability to see through the masquerade.
Posted by AT - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 41 minutes ago

You can blame this chaos on Bill Gates. The baggy sweater beat the heck out of the IBM suits, and atire has gone downhill ever since.
Posted by Observer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 38 minutes ago

Once a slob, always a slob.

Get with it, children.
Posted by yaya - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 37 minutes ago

I agree with the happy medium. My office is technically business formal 4 days a week and business casual on the 5th. In actuality, you can pass with business casual all days because no one wears a suit jacket in the office. My solution is to wear business casual most days and always have at least one suit behind the door and spare shoes under the desk. Then you are ready for last minute client meetings and court proceedings.
Posted by CC - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 21 minutes ago

What we wear really should not matter at all, but people make judgments based on perception. Unless there’s a cultural change, workers in yoga pants and Uggs will still be seen as less competent than someone in a suit - unless the client is a normal, down to earth person and not corporate. The happy medium seems like the best choice to me for now. As for a better way to spend a $160,000 salary, perhaps Mr. Mills should be updated on the cost of law school in this decade….
Posted by Bryan Cigelske - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 19 minutes ago

I am sure that the paying client would be pleased to know he was assigned an inferior lawyer that makes up for inability by being a dapper dresser.
Posted by NY Lawyer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 12 minutes ago

I must start that we are professionals and should be treated as such. My firm allows us to make our own decisions on dress with the understanding that we dress appropriately for the occassion. If we’re going to court, it is understood that we look the part. But if we’re at the office for the day, not seeing clients, then jeans are just fine. We all have the suit hanging at the back of the door just in case. Treat us like professionals. Let us make our own judgement on our dress. And let these people wearing $2500 suits who wish to require their associates to wear those $2500 suits have our student loan debt and see if they can continue to afford those $2500 suits.
Posted by Joseph T. Leone - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 12 minutes ago

Loved Bryan’s comment (#15). I don’t dress to impress my partners, but rather to make my clients comfortable. If that means suit, tie, wingtips and cufflinks, that’s what I wear. But one of our most productive partners, a gent who has had an office next to mine for 13 years, wears jeans, t-shirts, and garden clogs most of the year. He’s not a sharp dresser, but he’s a very, very sharp lawyer, with a very large book of business.
Posted by CL - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 9 minutes ago

I think everyone should shave their head bald like me. It’s so 3000 B.C.E.
Posted by Elaine - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 8 minutes ago

Clients, even down-to-earth ones, have certain ideas about how they think their lawyers should look. I agree that it is a matter of respect. I think business casual is fine in the office, but attorneys should dress up more when meeting with clients.

As for this “younger” generation of attorneys (I am only 41), the prevailing attitude seems to be that they should make the big bucks, work only 40 hours a week, be rude to their bosses, clients and colleagues and that the rest of us should get down on our knees and kiss their feet. Whatever. I fear for the future of the legal profession.
Posted by NCLawyer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 3 minutes ago

As I sit at my desk on a rainy Friday morning at an AMLAW 100 firm, I am wearing jeans and hiking boots. We wear jeans every Friday. The other days are business casual unless in depositions, court, meeting with a client, etc. Nine times out of ten, when I meet face-to-face with a client (which is rare to be honest) I go business casual. The vast majority of my clients (the majority of which are Fortune 500 companies) are more comfortable with me in “business casual” than they would be if I were in a suit. In need them to be open and honest with me, not impressed, awed or intimidated by my Brioni suit. They know that my attire (which is not “sloppy” by the way) and my legal ability are unrelated.

Nevertheless, I agree that if there is any doubt about appropriate attire for a meeting with a client, etc. go with a suit. Also, if your bosses tell you to dress better, you are a fool to ignore that direction.

I cannot imagine working in a firm where there was some tacit expectation that I wear designer suits or where “casual” is defined as not wearing your suit coat all day. Simply not a pleasant work environment in my opinion.

That being said, I am an employment litigator, not a corporate transactional lawyer. I have certainly found that the financial services industry remains very “formal” with the expectation of suits on even the lowliest of employees (or “Vice Presidents” as the case may be). I think it entirely reasonable for a firm that caters to this industry to continue business formal dress because that is what their client base expects. However, certainly not all “corporate clients” expect this and a large number are perfectly comfortable with counsel who dresses in chinos and button downs on a daily basis rather than suits and ties (my apologies to the women on this board for my inability to adequately describe similar modes of dress for female attorneys).

I think in most business and legal circles, the days of “The clothes make the man (or the woman)“ are long over—and good riddance.
Posted by RJC - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 hours, 2 minutes ago

Ah, form over substance. It’s good to see that some superficialities last a lifetime (at least in BigLaw). But if you can’t trust him with an idea, how can you trust him with a suit?
Posted by I paid off my school loans in 2 years instead of b - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 59 minutes ago

If you are meeting or are likely to be seen by clients, yes, I think you should present a professional image. But if you’re going to sit in your office all day like a veal, do you really need to be in a jacket? If no one is going to see you, what impact could that possibly have on your or your firm’s marketability?

I am, incidentally, amused that commenter #6 misspelled sloppy while arguing that sloppy clothes lead to sloppy (“sloopy”) work. Closet sloopy dresser, maybe?
Posted by burley mitchell - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 57 minutes ago

The answer to the attire issue seems easy for a law firm of any sizr. associates who are continuing their law review careers for a few years before being passed over for partner could wear anything they like and stay out of client’s line of sight. Those on partnership track who may be sent to see clients or represent the firm should be required to dress in business attire of the type the client wears and those going to court must wear the more formal attire required in court. Let the associates choose which career path they way and pat accordingly.
Posted by Auyrn - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 55 minutes ago

If looking professional actually translates to a better work product, how come I do my best work, at home in my fuzzy slippers and comfy warm robe?

There’s definately something to be said for comfort over appearance; I’ve yet to actually find professional clothes that fit and feel good.
Posted by Fla Law - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 55 minutes ago

I think Teej (#10) made the other side’s point without even realizing it. He basically admitted that he dresses in a fashion that relates better to his small firm clients. If that is acceptable to him, why then is it not equally acceptabe for the big firms mentioned in the article to expect their professionals to also dress in a manner to which their more sophisticated, corporate clients will relate? What’s next folks…a new generation of me-centric lawyers who refuse to wear a suit and tie in court because it interferes with their lifestyle choices?
Posted by Willy - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 48 minutes ago

Basically what office attire comes down to is “who do you work for?“ and “who are your clients?“

If you work for a big hoity toity firm like those above whose clients are likely bigwigs with money, then yes, it is appropriate to wear suits.

If you work for yourself or a small firm and represent farmers, then wear khakis and a shirt.

I never would think blue jeans would be acceptable fashion in a law firm, unless it’s a weekend.
Posted by Jerry H. - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 46 minutes ago

Arguments over clothing requirements aside, perhaps a more interesting and relevant story is the poor grammar and punctuation throughout the comments, all of which were presumably drafted by attorneys. Even assuming that more care goes into legal product than comments on a website, I still suspect such shoddy work is at least partly behind legal clients’ increasing reluctance to pay high legal rates today. I suppose, for some younger attorneys, even minimal writing proficiency, like professional dress, is strictly optional.
Posted by Merlinus Monroe - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 42 minutes ago

Working in public law for a while left me with a particular impression - always looks harp in Court, but be casual and comfortable the rest of the time. I am now almost exclusively working as the Law Librarian fora Hall County, and business casual is the rule. it leaves a good impression on everyone - not too formal, but more formal than the average person on the street.

I agree with the comments on intelligence in representation mattering more than snappy fashion sense, though. substance, not form, should always be the rule.
Posted by anthony rainone - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 41 minutes ago

I TOTALLY agree with the older attorneys except that the problem is not just associates - partners tend to be a bit disorganized looking with their attire too. As a fifth year at a mid-size firm, I am shocked at the things old and young attorneys wear. It’s not expensive to dress presentably and PROFESSIONALLY. People pay hundreds of dollars an hour to represent them. If I was spending that kind of money on an attorney, he or she better have a suit (and tie for men) - or at least learn what business casual is. For men It’s not dockers and a golf shirt. It’s dark dress pants, a collared LONG-SLEEVE shirt (please lawyers, lose the short sleeve shirts, we are not engineers), and a sport coat. Put yourself in your clients and/or boss’ shoes - do you want to look at people that are dressed professionally, especially at the rates clients pay and the salaries the firms pay?
Posted by Elaine - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 40 minutes ago

Jerry,

Very well stated and much needed. Thank you.
Posted by RH - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 38 minutes ago

You know you are writing to attorneys when you lead an article headline with the word “Abysmal”
Posted by MAnewlaw - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 38 minutes ago

As for the person who commented at number 19, I love the attitude that comes through in his response. Heaven forbid the new generation attempt to better balance their private life with their work life than previous generations have. I can see how demanding better hours to spend with children, spouses and other loved ones, while expecting some ability to pay off the $100,000+ cost of law school (and who knows for college), and living expenses in the current economy in what I assume is a major city or equally expensive suburb is COMPLETELY absurd. Damn ingrates.

I’m sure there are many children out there whose parents have missed significant milestones in their life because of billable hours, or ex-spouses who might have enjoyed spending more time with their spouse than alone might appreciate the new generations outlook on their legal careers.
Posted by Fla Law - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 37 minutes ago

Jerry H., welcome to the text messaging generation, where proofreading is a four letter word and concepts such as grammer, syntax, and punctuation take a back seat to instant communication. Pretty soon, this generation of lawyers will insist that they be allowed to text message their closing arguments to the jury (while sitting in a Starbucks, wearing jeans and flip flops and sipping on an overpriced latte.) Oh, the horror… .
Posted by 3L Girl - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 36 minutes ago

I think a large part of the problem rests with the “kindergarten thru law school” 80’s kids who are working in their first professional setting. After spending over two decades in jeans, it can be somewhat of an adjustment to dive into a suit every day. I see it all the time at law school: girls dressing like college freshman (boob and butt cleavage included- don’t get excited, it’s generally the worst of the worst) and unshaven guys throwing on whatever sports paraphernalia is in reach. I’ still in my 20s so I enjoy casual stylish apparel, but I still try to be presentable, considering I am in a professional program.

Meanwhile, I have seen many of my classmates puzzled about how to dress for work. One girlfriend refused to wear pantyhose with her skirt suit…? Another classmate “ironed” his shirt during OCI by bouncing it in the clothes dryer! I had friends who didn’t even own a suit during our 1L year. I got my first skirt suit when I was a college sophomore and although it didn’t get a lot of immediate wear, it was always there and came in handy when I started interviewing for jobs after college. I worked for 2 years between college and law school in a business casual office, and although (designer) jeans were ok, most people saved them on Fridays, and wore fashion-forward khakis, button down shirts and skirts the rest of the week. However, this was in an entertainment related office in LA, so dress codes tend to not be as high laced as on the east coast where I’m attending law school. But I never saw anyone stroll through the office in their Rainbows.

As a graduating 3L, I am not stepping out with a $160K job offer, so Mr. Mills certainly doesn’t speak for all of us. However, my less-than- six-figure-income doesn’t excuse me from looking the part. A few simple black suits from Nordstrom’s or Banana Republic and a good pair of pumps (or dress shoes for the guys) will help any new law grad get step out with the right foot forward.
Posted by brand new lawyer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 33 minutes ago

I am a newly-minted lawyer, admitted this past Wednesday. I’m disappointed by the comment of Elaine (#19) that “younger” lawyers all have terrible attitudes.

The vast majority of the young attorneys I know, know exactly how to dress for the particular office where they work. My BigLaw friends—for the most part—where suits daily. “Comfort” is not the opposite of “suit,“ so long as you’re wearing one that fits properly.

As for the partner with his Brioni suits, I concur with the commenters who mentioned student loans as a factor. I do not work in a big city, but make “good money” for the city I’m in, at my state’s highest court. Good money here is more than $50K. My student prohibit exhorbitant expenditures on clothes. With that being said, you can look just as nice in a well-tailored suit from Macy’s. In my opinion, it’s a matter of making the right decisions for where you are, and what you have, monetarily speaking, to work with.
Posted by Jennifer H - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 30 minutes ago

In my mind, a lot of it depends on who your clients are and who you work for (see comment 26).

But being a bit of a princess with a bitchy streak, I’m sorry, there is absolutely no excuse to treat your JOB like you did your undergraduate course where you rolled out of bed and wore your scrubs to class. Keep the ugg boots, the trashy jeans, the oversized sweatshirts and pretty much the rest of your wardrobe that you could perform yard work in….AT HOME.

I am sure Mr. $2500 suit wouldn’t be happy with anything LESS than a $2500. So he’s one extreme. But I get the point. I’ve seen a lot of “casual fridays” translate into loafing-on-the-couch-wiping-greasy-potato-chip-fingers-on-pants sort of garb. I don’t care how awesome your law review article was that got published, grow up, iron your shirts!

Oh and by the way, I’m 29.
Posted by TP - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 30 minutes ago

I think this is a very simple issue. If you want to be a rebel, and dress like you’re trying to make a statement that business attire is an outdated concept that needs to change, go for it my friend—it’s a free country. But please do not whine if it ends up impeding your abilty to advance in your career, to building a meaningful book of business, to gain the respect of your colleagues and clients, etc.
Posted by Alvin D. Chimpunk - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 27 minutes ago

Give me $160K and I’ll dress up in a monkey suit.
Posted by clotheswearer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 24 minutes ago

Wow, why doesn’t somebody just invent a lawyer uniform and get it over with? Just make sure it’s Armani, lest people forget how much better we all are than everybody else.
Posted by CLT Midsize - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 22 minutes ago

If anybody with good education, sharp mind and good ethic to get the work done (hours for their own sake not required), we have room for you in Charlotte. We don’t care where your clothes come from. You do need a suit for court.
Posted by U.S. Gov't Attorney - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 21 minutes ago

Right or wrong, people do react to your appearance. One’s personal appearance/attire should reflect a desire to gain the respect of and minimize conflict with clients, associates, and superiors.
Posted by EH - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 20 minutes ago

I don’t quite understand why people are shocked at the idea that one may have to look professional in a professional setting. In law firms, the large ones in particular, there are constantly clients or other non-employees walking the halls and how people dress presents a certain image. Even if you may only be working on a document all day, you do walk into the building and out, and presumably also to the bathroom or the kitchen at some point, so it’s not like you would go unnoticed. And from a practial standpoint, it’s a lot easier to just give a general dress code, rather than to list 10 different situations where it’s ok to dress down with a list of 20 exceptions when those don’t apply.

I also agree with 3L girl that much of that aversion to appropriate work attire arises from the fact that some people never had to dress up before. There also appears to be this mistaken belief going around that the only thing that matters is what’s between your ears and not how you dress. Since when has that been true? Apart from movies who glorify the person who is insanely smart but doesn’t adapt to social norms. Potential clients do not want to get to know you on a personal level. If they see you and you don’t look like you’re serious about your job, which, rightly or wrongly, is inferred from your attire, then they will not bother to talk to you to see what you actually have to offer. It also takes more effort to get dressed nicely than to put on some jeans, so it shows how much respect you have for the person you’re meeting. You would never show up for a job interview in jeans and a sweater, so then why would you think that’s ok for meeting your boss or a client?
Posted by Tony - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 20 minutes ago

Regardless of your age, for men, coat and tiefor the judge, ALWAYS. Otherwise, dress for the client. As a lawyer in a rural state my work takes me from the board room to farm land, sometimes the same day. Dress accordingly but keep rubber boots in your trunk and a coat and tie in your office even if it is business casual day.
Posted by Erin - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 17 minutes ago

As many have stated already, I do not see the problem of maintaining business casual appearances at work, while keeping a suit hanging behind your door. If you KNOW you are not going to see a client, why wear a stuffy suit? Even if your secretary tells you that a client has made a surprise visit, you still would have time to throw that suit on you keep in your office. Like many professions, the legal world is changing - it is not the suit and tie business it was in the past when you left law school to work at your father’s firm and stayed there the rest of your life.

Also, considering I don’t make HALF of $160k per year, I could never afford anything better than Ann Taylor while actually keeping a roof over my head and the student loan people at bay. Ridiculous comment. Just as many readers of this magazine work at small firms. A little representation would be nice.
Posted by RH - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 14 minutes ago

I don’t quite understand why people are shocked at the idea that one may have to look professional in a professional setting. In law firms, the large ones in particular, there are constantly clients or other non-employees walking the halls and how people dress presents a certain image. Even if you may only be working on a document all day, you do walk into the building and out, and presumably also to the bathroom or the kitchen at some point, so it’s not like you would go unnoticed. And from a practical standpoint, it’s a lot easier to just give a general dress code, rather than to list 10 different situations where it’s ok to dress down with a list of 20 exceptions when those don’t apply.

I also agree with 3L girl that much of that aversion to appropriate work attire arises from the fact that some people never had to dress up before. There also appears to be this mistaken belief going around that the only thing that matters is what’s between your ears and not how you dress. Since when has that been true? Apart from movies who glorify the person who is insanely smart but doesn’t adapt to social norms. Potential clients do not want to get to know you on a personal level. If they see you and you don’t look like you’re serious about your job, which, rightly or wrongly, is inferred from your attire, then they will not bother to talk to you to see what you actually have to offer. It also takes more effort to get dressed nicely than to put on some jeans, so it shows how much respect you have for the person you’re meeting. You would never show up for a job interview in jeans and a sweater, so then why would you think that’s ok for meeting your boss or a client?
Posted by kjenkins - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 14 minutes ago

I agree that it’s “abysmal” to assign a less-skilled associate to represent a client only because he’s a snappier dreser. But when in Rome, folks. Dress to fit your situation and everyone, client included, will be more comfortable.
Posted by JS - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 13 minutes ago

My firm has business casual 4 days per week and casual on Fridays. Jeans are allowed on Fridays as long as they are not ripped and the remainder of the person’s attire is clean and well-pressed (etc.). However, all attorneys who decide to dress either business casual or in jeans (on the respective days) are expected to have a complete suit with appropriate shoes in their offices for the unexpected client meeting, court appearance, or other event that may require more formal attire.

Like many of the other commentators, I also have significant student loans and I live in a high cost-of-living metro area. While it was my choice to attend the law school that I attended, I simply do not have much money left over for expensive suits. But I have found that many middle-class targeted retailers (JC Penney’s, Dillards, and smaller stores found in many malls) offer more cost-conscious options for suits that are flattering without busting the budget.

It is my work product that matters most, however. I practice primarily in federal court, where I rarely have hearings. When I do have hearings, depositions, or client meetings, I wear a suit. When I’m sitting in my office working on briefs or discovery, I typically wear slacks and a sweater set. My business casual attire works for my practice. I think the key to resolving this issue is for each attorney to ensure that s/he is dressed appropriately for the occasion. And in my opinion, Uggs are not appropriate once you are inside.
Posted by Jacob Lauser - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 11 minutes ago

Unlike the other misfit rebels of my generation, appropriate fashion has always been my forte. Sure, I wear jeans at law school, but if I step within visual distance of a court, attorney, or other professional, you can bet that in the very least, I’m wearing a nice business suit. And who says you have to spend $2500 on the right attire? Men’s Warehouse anyone? Jos. A. Bank? J.C. Penney’s? And as this article demonstrates, your potential employers do notice! Even lower court officials take exception to sloppy dressers. The ONE time I had to make an unscheduled stop at the clerk’s office to file a brief on my day off, the woman actually made me stand in the public wait line instead of the attorney/runner line, because I was wearing jeans! Consequently, I felt humiliated and the task took a half hour longer than it should have. And to all those complaining firms out there: give me a job, and I will sign a reasonable agreement to dress properly each day; and I wil promise NEVER to wear Ugg boots (even at home). ;)
Posted by Dapper Dan - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 8 minutes ago

What good is it to be dressed to the nines if an associate is sitting in his office all day? Has the law firm become a fashion show? Is it to impress the other lawyers with your taste in dress? If they are in the office - business casual is fine. But hang a nice suit on the back of your door just in case you need to run to court or meet with a client.
Posted by Bob - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 7 minutes ago

What’s the fuss? If an attorney is always safe wearing conservative attire, why fight it and risk turning off your partners or clients? You don’t have to spend at Brioni levels. The economics argument is naive. Do you really think that casual attire conveys a professional image? This was expanded in yesterday’s Wall St. Journal. An associate was in the audience wearing cargo pants, when the speaker commented that he looked like an idiot and conveyed that image. He sheepishly conceded the point. So why even raise the issue at work? Unless you are entirely self-centered, give it rest. Save the Uggs for home.
Posted by NY Litigation Associate - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 6 minutes ago

I have been a litigation associate ofr seven years. I have always worn business casual on typical days and suits when going to court or depositions, meeting clients in person, or attending professional functions. That said, I have never owned more than three suits at one time and for the last four years or so, I have not kept a suit in the office. I have never had a “suit emergency.“ Suits are dead in BigLaw junior ranks because associates have almost no need for them. People who brag about their designer labels like Brioni guy are fossils and I can’t wait until they stop clinging to their positions, fighting mandatory retirement, etc. and let the profession progress.

As for Elaine who has a burr in her saddle because of junior associate attiudes: where do you think those attitudes came from? Firms hire smart people who watch the firms treat the smart people hired before them like crap until they throw them out because making them partner would dilute equity shares. These junior associates with “bad attitudes” are just doing what any intelligent person would do.
Posted by Boston Law Student - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 4 minutes ago

I’m currently only a 1L in Law School, and this article, blinking ever so warmly in my inbox brought a smile to my face. I’m one of those Law students that thought of being a lawyer since the first lawyer movie I saw. I think I was about six, or seven. The thought of being one of the elite in a respected position, and more importantly, getting to dress up in a fancy suit every day for work! That brings me back to why I smiled reading this article. If all the younger associates are dressing in uggs and jeans (which I equate jeans and uggs wearing individuals, as those girls you see on their way to a keg party in the middle of winter) I think my chances to be somewhat higher. Although I do agree with some of the other posters that depending where you live it might be different, as I spent a few years in Wisconsin and a button up dress shirt is pretty “fancy” for some.

I do apologize to Jerry if my post is not as professionally written, and I hope those younger associates keep up with the lack of respect for their attire, for at least another two years, so when I walk in for my interview in my new $2500 suit, I’ll like my odds.
Posted by A Few Dollars More - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 2 minutes ago

What you wear should be commensurate with what you earn. Dry cleaning suits and polishing shoes is not free. Why do so many gov’t employees dress like crap? Because they aren’t paid enough to look any better. So, to the associates that make $160k+, stop complaining and start dressing like a lawyer. No, it doesn’t make you smarter or more marketable, but sheesh, have at least a modicum of respect for yourself and your choosen profession. We all know you can afford it!
Posted by Justin - 9 months, 3 weeks, 7 hours, 1 minute ago

Being a JD/MBA student, I see the trend toward more casual attire in both the legal and business world. It is a generational change and in ten years those sloppy dressing punks are going to be your clients. It’s just more comfortable and our generation places value on a complete life and feels no allegiance to any particular firm or business. You should get to know the people you’re hiring. You’ll probably be retired and still complaining.
Posted by nn - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 59 minutes ago

Very well said, MAnewlaw (#32). Heaven forbid we actually expect to be paid enough to pay the bills without sacrificing our entire lives to a firm.

And Fla Law (#33) - I guess you must be part of that generation of lawyers for whom proofreading is a four-letter word. “Grammer”?? Oh the irony…
Posted by YoungAttorney - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 58 minutes ago

I am a 28 year old female attorney who did the whole “kindergarten to law school thing” and now works for a boutique firm representing major corporations. My clients NEVER come to my office- we go to them. Of course when I see them I am dressed to the 9’s but when I am in the office? I mix business casual with designer jeans/blazers/heels. I never show cleavage or wear sweats and think it is absolutely inappropriate to do so. I don’t think the fact that I’m sitting here wearing Rock & Republic jeans today makes me any less of an attorney. My generation is not “abysmal”. We are the same as the old guard down deep inside- hard working, intelligent, hungry and extremely adaptive. I trust that most educated adults- even the “kiddies”- will be able to dress themselves appropriately for the situation at hand. So please don’t point to us as the “downfall” of the legal profession just because we can tap so fast on a blackberry your head spins. Just a few months ago I had to attend a motion hearing at 60 Centre and my adversary was an older gentleman who looked quite disheveled in an old, ill-fitting brown suit with papers falling out of his ratty briefcase. I wore a jcrew suit, high heels and had my hair pully tightly back. Ah but apparently it is I, the youngster in jeans at the office who is unable to gain any “respect” in this field or advance myself. I think my satisfied clients would argue to the contrary. Excuse me now while I shut my door, turn on my ipod and have a good laugh before preparing for my next hearing.
Posted by Liz Rivard - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 56 minutes ago

I for one believe that jeans and casual dress do not indicate a poor attorney. The abililty to be a great attorney is in the mind, not appearance. This world needs to smart up and understand that appearance is not the most important thing (for more reasons than this issue at hand). Would I rather have a monkey who dresses in a suit or a great trial attorney who comes to the office in jeans? I’d take the later. That said, reputation is built upon appearance AND conduct. Confidence and intelligence can leak through jeans just as easily as silk. Be smart, be yourself, and show your knowledge and wisdom to build a reputable stance within society. Am I going to wear a $2500 suit just to sit on it and do research? No way. But, I would wear it to impress a client, for a power play, or for court, Yup. You will never please everyone. Know the rules and pick your battles carefully.
Posted by Christopher - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 55 minutes ago

“Business Casual” is the worst thing (other than cargo shorts) to be inflicted on American fashion.
Wearing a suit isn’t that painful; get over it. Oh yes, and burn your khakis.
Posted by Mr. D. Duck - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 52 minutes ago

Hey! Who are we billing all this time to? Back to work people!
Posted by Southern Transplant - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 51 minutes ago

I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned the effect of the region you work in. I used to live in the Northeast and now reside in the Southeast and the expected level of formal attire is significant. In the North pantyhose were expected, down her noone wears pantyhose. Also open toed shoes are perfectly acceptible, even in court. I think the clients you service, the region you work in, and the image you want to convey all effect what you should be wearing.
Posted by anonymous - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 49 minutes ago

I hope I am still part of the younger generation in this divide (45 y.o.). I wore suits every day for the first 8 years of practice, then “business casual” for another two or three years. When I became a sole practitioner, I found that I dealt with clients and opponents mostly by e-mail, telephone, faxes, letters, but not in person. So, I wear my comfy clothes (jeans and a t-shirt) most days when I don’t see anyone. I will wear a nice sportscoat and slacks for clients, depositions, mediations, etc. I wear a suit and tie to court (always) and also on those occasions when I am trying to overwhelm opponents with my skill, attire, and good looks. I don’t take walk-in appointments or do emergency court appearances, so I don’t keep a spare suit hanging in my office. I found that when I wear a suit and tie, my personality changes, and I become more adversarial as the tie tightens around my neck during the day. When I dress comfortably, I work better, and I am a more pleasant person.
Posted by Matthew A - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 48 minutes ago

I am a first year lawyer at a boutique family law firm in Chicago and I am appalled at the clothing the older lawyers wearing in court. As family lawyers we are in court every morning, so why not look sharp? If anything, the younger lawyers, like myself, dress the sharpest in court and are bringing fashion and sharp dress back to the courtroom
Posted by H.V.Baxendale - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 46 minutes ago

A recurring theme is that like it or not, dressing the part is good marketing. What seems to be overlooked is that your partners (or the partners) are among your most important clients. If they happen to prefer a certain dress around the office for image, your success will be affected by whether you fit the image. An associate wouldn’t give a partner a memo with coffee stains even if it’s a draft no one outside will see, no matter how good the work product. A smart associate projects a professional image in the office, too, in every thing he or she does. That’s the reality you bought into.
Posted by GrizzledLawyer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 40 minutes ago

This debate is as old as the hills, and there will never be one right answer. I have been practicing nearly as long as Mr. Mills and, until recently, was the managing partner of my midsize midwestern firm (AmLaw 200). The binding thread through most of the comments—at least the intelligent ones—is that it’s all relative. Show some judgment and show some respect. If you don’t, the only one you’re hurting is yourself. One observation on the WSJ article that started all this is that BigLaw clients are paying premium rates and should receive a premium experience. That doesn’t rule out business casual in the appropriate circumstances, but one should err on the side of overdressing. If nothing else, it is a show of respect to the client who is willing to pay your premium rates. It goes without saying that the work has to be first rate, but the rest of the experience should also be more worthy of The Plaza than a Motel 6.
Posted by Andy - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 30 minutes ago

As attorneys, we should understand better than most the importance of communication, verbal as well as non-verbal. We all have our individual fashion preferences but at the end of the day, how we dress is merely a form of non-verbal communication.

We pride ourselves on our ability to assess a situation, spot issues and communicate advice and analysis clearly. We should view our attire, professional and personal, in the same way.

While we may have the right to dress however the f*ck we want, is that really the attitude we want to communicate to our clients, our colleagues and the general public, most of whom already hold us in low regard?
Posted by ChicagoLawStudent - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 25 minutes ago

I think a lot of this preparation should begin at the law school level for those who missed the memo that it is actually professional school. Professors often mention students from the days of yore attending class in vests and ties or slacks and blouses—today students still wear suits to class, only now they are Juicy Couture or Adidas.
Posted by J C Metcalf - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 22 minutes ago

As I sit here at my desk dressed in my running shoes, levi’s and clean but wrinkled blue oxford cloth shirt, I’m thinking, “yeah, I WOULD by a Mercedes from a person wearing a t-shirt.“ That is, if I were interested in driving pompous car like a mercedes. It always makes me glow with joy when a client says to me, “you don’t SEEM like any lawyer I’ve ever met.“ Thank god, I say.
Posted by Jacob Richards - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 17 minutes ago

Don’t like wearing a suit and tie to work each day? Go sell software. I
Posted by AB - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 17 minutes ago

I’m with #19 and #36. And I’m 24, a 3L.

I can see why most people would scoff at Mr. 2500 and Ms. Dapper-Associate, but they are extreme examples. Hello, people: let’s weed out the issue here. People, particularly young folk, don’t understand that fitted, presentable, appropriate clothing doesn’t have to take a back seat to comfortability OR professionalism - AT ALL.

And really, how is cost an issue? If you can afford to spend $200 on fugly UGG boots, you can afford to go down to your local Anne Taylor/Banana Republic and pick up decent trousers, shirts (long sleeve!), and jackets.
Posted by Mr. Anonymous - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 16 minutes ago

Wow, nice F-bomb, Andy. Way to keep it professional.
Posted by JWW - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 14 minutes ago

My firm went business casual several years ago and I found I really hate wearing suits. However, I wear a suit and tie for every client meeting or court appearance I attend and I do keep a jacket and a tie in my office in case I need it. You must dress appropriately for the situation.
Posted by Jade - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 11 minutes ago

You don’t have to make $160K to dress well. You can find good deals on great brands on sale at Macy’s, or TJ Maxx or things like that. It’s common sense. I think I learned about professional dress in like 7th grade. I’m still in my 20’s, but would NEVER wear yoga pants to work, and even though I live in Michigan and have to often wear boots, I have the sense to take them off at work. I don’t know why people don’t get it.
Posted by 34 yo - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 9 minutes ago

I have worked for boutique firms in both LA and NY, both had fairly relaxed dress policies. The partners were definitely more likely to push the “casual” envelope a bit too far, and when it came time to wear a suit, the associates’ were far more likely to be better fitting.
Posted by Marc Justice - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 3 minutes ago

I’m an associate at a class action botique lucky enough to work for attorneys who care more about whats in the box than how its wrapped. i get to wear jeans everyday of the week except for june, july, and august - then it’s shorts. when i have to, i suit up and whoop the arses of the stiffs from the big firms. i work a 40 hour week, help individuals who’ve been wronged (and have never been consumed by such pressing issues as whether my clients diaper disign infinges pamper’s patents), and go cruising in the boat by bonus bought me. to the big firm kids: thanks for the boat, suckas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Steve Perkins - 9 months, 3 weeks, 6 hours, 3 minutes ago

I’m transitioning to law from a computer science background, so I already went through one of these phases back during the dot-com boom. I don’t think this is a “generational” debate so much as it is a job market thing. When the economy is such that there are more jobs than there are qualified people to fill them, companies yield more to pressure from employees (and yeah, polo shirts and khakis/jeans are more comfortable attire than full suits). When the job market favors employers, the atmosphere tends to tighten up as employers favor the most professional appearance possible.

From what I’m seen so far, the legal market is a strange beast in that both dynamics seem to coexist simultaneously. At the absolute top of the market, large firms compete viciously for the small number of students who were top-10% and on law review. For everyone else, however, it’s an employer’s market.

Personally, and I don’t mean to come across as pretentious here, but I don’t see the point in being a lawyer in the first place if you don’t want to to look the part. No matter where I go or what I’m doing, I’m treated with more respect and deference while wearing a suit than I am while dressed business casual. Even in computer programming, I always overdressed for the part on account of this reason (not that it’s hard to overdress in that field!). I just don’t understand what brought you to law in the first place if you want to walk around an office in yoga pants.
Posted by ted - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 55 minutes ago

many of you make fine servants. i feel bad for the client who got the lesser associate based on appearance. if you wear a suit because you like the way it makes you feel - awesome. otherwise, your just wearing a more expensive micky dees uniform.

and would i buy a mercedes from a guy in a t-shirt? it depends on if he were offering me the best deal.
Posted by Atty Elizabeth - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 51 minutes ago

I think it important to emphasize the earlier comment that however the attorneys dress, the staff dress exponentially worse. Staff members are the people who have regular client contact and say as much about the firm as the attorneys themselves. At the small firm I worked at for a short time out of law school, before going to the public sector, the staff were completely out of line, wearing the trashiest most revealing clothes ever. Then they flew off the handle when clients (regularly) hit on them. One girl in law school wore a certain attire every day and we all knew her as “hooker boots girl.“ I don’t even remember what her real name was, although I think she was fairly bright and had great grades.

Clothes say a lot about the person, and about the firm. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes, but for my workplace I am definitely in the top 5% of best dressed. I don’t think it is a coincidence that I quickly moved up to a newer office in one of the better parts of the building, and am one of the more public faces. My husband is in one of the larger firms in the area and he is always well dressed, also no wonder that he ends up having a lot of dealings with clients.

Women have enough to overcome in a professional workplace, I wish some of them would get the memo to at least try not to make us look like loose idiots.
Posted by Bruce T. Beesley - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 49 minutes ago

I started practicing thirty years ago as a public defender. I decided that sombody appearing on the defense side of the court room should look professional so I always wore suits. When I entered private practice and saw the hourly rates, about $80 thirty years age I decided that I should at least look like a lawyer for the kind of money clients were paying for my service. I vote for suits.
Posted by Claudia - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 47 minutes ago

First, the basics. I’m 26, and went on the express train from 4 y/o kindergarten to law school. And I’ve spent the better part of my life wondering if I should be working in the fashion industry.

Here’s what I don’t understand: Why oh why are all of these people referencing what clients would want? Putting aside the fact that most big companies have since switched to business casual; and putting aside that very few executives wear suits outside of big meetings; and putting aside that even if you’re wearing a $2500 suit you can look hellish if it is ill-fitting (basically I’m asking for a suspension of reality here)...who in the world are these associates seeing outside of the firm? Who!? Why should they bother dressing up, if they can work more efficiently in khakis? Frankly, if you’re taking off the tie and jacket, and unbuttoning the dress shirt, how are you any different than I am in my slacks and sweater? Writing an internal memo is not a client meeting people.

Seeing no answer, I’ll stick with the business casual. Thanks.
Posted by William Winston Newbill of Dallas - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 46 minutes ago

I have enjoyed reading all the comments and I understand the differing perspectives and viewpoints. I work as a government attorney and at 49, I’m 10 or so years older than most of our lawyers. I’m paid well, but I’m not getting rich either and only work around 40 hours a week.

Most lawyers in our office are very comfortable with the idea of business casual, but I have to admit I feel weird not wearing at least a tie on most days. Part of that is because I’ve spent the last 30 years in jobs, mostly non-legal jobs where having a tie and jacket was par for the course.

An important point: you can find good formal business attire at far less than the $2500.00 for a Brioni suit. Go to Symm’s and you can find a great suit, shirts, ties, etc, at a fraction of the cost. Disclosure: I own stock in Symms.

Having spent a long time in banking, there is a saying in that industry that good tailoring is a substitute for intelligence. It’s funny, but there’s also some truth to it as well. People judge you based on your dress and appearance. I think it’s just human nature.

In my case, the government agency I work for has lower level employees who dress far better than many of the attorneys I work with. What’ya gonna’ do? There’s no right answer here but the discussion is illuminating.

I can’t see going business casual myself more than one day a week, but I also feel out of place and violating the new norms by dressing in a way I consider minimally appropriate.
Posted by Bernie the Attorney - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 42 minutes ago

This thread reminds me of a cartoon from an old NITA Journal which I have framed on my desk. The lawyer is sitting behind his desk, dressed as Pagliacci in full clown regalia and makeup, talking to his client. He says, “Look at it this way. If I weren’t a VERY GOOD LAWYER, do you think I could practice law in a Clown Suit??“
Posted by Law Student in Madison - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 40 minutes ago

Ted,

From your use of “your” when you should have used “you’re,“ I gather that you don’t make enough to buy a Mercedes!
Posted by Auyrn - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 33 minutes ago

My biggest issue is whether I actually want to practice law after I’m finished with school. The prospect of wearing a suit every day is definately a negative in my book at the moment.

I just don’t know. Maybe I can’t overcome my blue-collar suspicions of “people in suits.“ It automatically sets off warning bells.
Posted by Junior Partner - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 32 minutes ago

I’ve already burned 45 min. reading the posts - might as well contribute.

I agree with comment 63. Lawyers, especially new lawyers, need to err on the side of dressing conservatively until they have the experience to assess what is appropriate dress for a given situation. That does not necessarily require a $2,500 suit, but you will lose some credibility if you are sloppily or too casually dressed.

Of course it is ultimately the quality of your work that counts. But if you have not yet proven yourself with partners and clients, looking like a slob may prevent you from ever getting the chance to impress them with your work.

And, as a 36 year-old junior partner, I am also disturbed by the number of younger lawyers who do not seem to have the basics of written communication down yet. E.g., comment 35: “My BigLaw friends—for the most part—WHERE suits daily.“ Are you serious?
Posted by Annie - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 26 minutes ago

Here’s when I knew casual dress had gotten out of hand: I walked past the office of a second-year associate when she was bending down to look at some boxes and saw that in addition to cropped, low-rise cargo pants and sandals, she was wearing a lacy purple thing.
Posted by Legal Eagle - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 26 minutes ago

I think a word of support for the “legal aid” folks should be dropped in here, since they seem to have a reputation as Birkenstocks/ Jeans people. As a recent grad and lofty idealist, I went to work at a free legal services office. The clients don’t pay for anything, but that doesn’t mean they do not deserve respect. Our office runs on a mix of suits and business casual, and the boss is the biggest proponent of wearing sweats if you aren’t meeting with clients. Most of the time, if there is any possibility I may be in court, I wear a suit. At times, it is the easiest option, since there is not a lot of “what matches what?“ debate.
When we meet with clients, we’re allowed to wear whatever we find appropriate. Our clients are homeless, mentally ill or part of the working poor. If we walk into the room with wingtips and a $2500 suit, it’s an insult and it’s intimidating. However, the moment we step into court, we’re in the suits. There is no disrespect to the clients when we dress down, it is a matter of making them comfortable.
(Also, it doesn’t help matters that it will take me 8 years to earn what Ms. Brisette makes in one.)
I just wanted to add this because I do feel many attorneys earn the right to wear jeans and that as adults, we all know when it’s appropriate.
I understand why a silk stocking firm would want you to wear… well, silk stockings, but the rest of us should be able to find an appropriate level of formality.
Posted by Annie - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 26 minutes ago

Sorry, that was a lacy purple THONG.
Posted by Boston Law Student - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 25 minutes ago

So the discussion continues.

I’d like to point out other professions. Granted, they may not quite fit the bill, and some are even more antique and gone to history but I think it will bring to light some other issues.

For one, what is a lawyer. A lawyer is someone out to defend, protect, and serve their client. This client could need you to get him compensated for injury, protect his property from a divorce or forclosure, among other things. Basically people place their trust, and sometimes their lives in your hands.

When you’re asking yourself, who do I want to place my trust, my life, my livelyhood into? Do you want to put your trust in a guy (#73) who makes more spelling errors, and talks using words such as “arse” and “suckas”? I think not. And he’s one of the ones that dresses “casual”.

I’m sorry, but if I was putting my trust in someone I’d want them dressing, looking, and acting the part of a professional lawyer 24/7.

Now to my other point of other professions.

Police officers: They wear a uniform everyday, granted they are allowed short-sleeved shirts, but a police officer is someone everyone can identify. Flashlight, nightstick, gun, badge… ect. I’m sure it is far more uncomfortable wearing all of that, than it is a suit. So why should lawyers complain, we don’t even have to put our lives on the line, just our reputations. And you’re sacrificing your reputation by allowing our dress code to slacken.

To look further back in history. Knights, soldiers, protectors of the law in previous past, wore armor, big heavy armor. Everyday, to stand guard, even though it was never needed. The English guards you see in all the movies and at the Buckingham, wear that same outfit all day long. Why, because it’s their jobs.

Don’t forget who you are. You’re lawyers. We should have some higher level of standard. If police officers, and English bobbies can suck it up, why can’t we? And we get paid more.
Posted by SB - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 24 minutes ago

A few years ago, I figured something out. I went to a doctor’s appointment, and the doctor was wearing casual clothes and no white coat. I had never really noticed what doctors normally wear, until I saw one who wasn’t dressed according to normal professional practice.

As an attorney, I keep that in mind, and wear a shirt and tie every day (except casual Friday, when I don’t normally see clients), and a suit to all court hearings.
Posted by Emily - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 24 minutes ago

Frankly, I do not understand the debate. I am 29 and went to law school straight from college. I was also unemployed after the Bar for months. Despite this, when I got my first job (at a small firm paying WAY less than $160K), and was told I needed to wear suits every day, I went out and bought them. They were not designer and my shoes came from Payless, but I did what the job required. I am appalled that people would wear yoga pants to work. It is just not appropriate!
By the way, thank you Jerry H. We young lawyers are not all text messaging fiends, despite our generation, and appreciate spelling and grammar as much as proper workplace attire.
Posted by oldladylawyer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 22 minutes ago

I think the biggest problem in all of this is the failure to differentiate between “business casual” and “casual”. Just think of the deiferences between “cocktail” and “black tie”. There is nothing inappropriate for many lawyers in my small Northeast town to appear in well pressed slacks and shirt without tie, or a skirt and blouse, when meeting with clients. And a suit is always needed for court. The problem is that far too many lawyers and staff fail to see the modifier - business - in the term business casual.

As for the spellings and grammar in the postin - I know I’m occassionally guilty - it has nothing to do with my command of spelling or the English language - I just don’t type very well and haven’t figured out how to do a spell check to find my typos. And I’m dashing this off so as not to take much time from billing, so I’m certainly not going to spend time proofreading it.
Posted by Jeff Clayton - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 21 minutes ago

The thought that it’s only what is between the ears is naive at best, stupid at worst. The legal world is full of cast off lawyers who are very bright, but can’t generate client confidence and satisfaction. How we dress does communicate to others. Since we are in a service business (there really are choices for clients out there) we need to dress in ways that help us better serve our clients. Some clients, especially in high the high tech arena dress down and are more comfortable with lawyers who do the same. Other corporate cultures are more formal. Our job is to build client relationships and help them feel like they are getting the services they want. Some of the younger lawyers seem to think everything is about me and what I want. They miss a very valuable point, that is we are here to serve our clients. How I dress on my time is my business. How I dress on work time is very much firm and client business.
Posted by SALaw Guy - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 17 minutes ago

It is simple, you wear what your boss/firm tells you to wear.
Posted by Palms - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 7 minutes ago

I disagree with the premise that J Murphy knows what “ad hominem” means. Lazer Wolf’s post is ad hominem, as are many others, but mcpearle’s is not. And there is no “x” in espresso.

But back to the matter at hand… yawn. I’m just glad I live and practice in SC where shorts & flip-flops are de rigueur. We have our share of stuffed shirts too, but they’re mostly either exiting stage left or living in the Upstate, raising their neo-con, Religious Reich children.

Now THAT was ad hominem!
Posted by A.J. - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 5 minutes ago

One of the best pieces of advice I received at the beginning of my legal career was to take my cues from the partners with whom I spend the majority of my time. The senior partner of my practice group, who is responsible for approximately 90% of my work and feedback, wears suits every day with few exceptions, and loathes open-toe shoes. Therefore, I wear suits almost every day and have a nice collection of classic, closed-toe pumps. I would give the same advice to new lawyers—look at the manner in which your supervisors dress, and dress accordingly. And if you nonetheless still feel compelled to wear yoga pants and a hockey jersey to work, well, bless your heart and best of luck to you!
On a separate but related note, I am bothered by the level of invective directed by one group of attorneys to another—“old” attorneys to new, small firm attorneys to big firm attorneys. Such blanket statements are patently untrue (attorneys in small firms are there because they couldn’t cut it in a big firm, new attorneys cannot write and have no concept of grammar, all BigLaw attorneys are jerks, etc., etc.), and they don’t say much for us as members of a profession that is supposed to encourage collegiality and professionalism.
Posted by DC Tiger - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 4 minutes ago

1. Some long-time players may well be skirting the elevation of form over substance.

2. Rookies need to acquire some clues about what costume should be worn in what circumstance.

Use some judgment, folks (and maintain a sense of proportionality) - that’s what our clients expect of us.
Posted by LightenUp - 9 months, 3 weeks, 5 hours, 4 minutes ago

As a member of the staff in a large law firm, I have seen the decline in professionalism throughout the years. This included not only clothing, but disrespect for others, arrogance, and a sense of entitlement. The “older” attorneys may dress more formally, but most of them are also more formal and gracious in their treatment of others. With youth comes the arrogance and smugness and entitlement following graduation from law school. One of our partners called all the secretaries in and explained to them how many of these lawyers have never had a job, have never had a secretary, and don’t even know what to do with one. Over the years, they learn that being nice gets you a lot further than being arrogant and self-serving. Some of them have never had to wear a suit and were not taught now to dress any way other than what they felt comfortable in. As in most jobs, there are requirements for the position. At McDonald’s, you have to wear a uniform and a name tag; in the law office, sometimes you have to wear a suit. Law offices have always had a certain formal decorum that denotes they are taking their job seriously. Even as an attorney, you are an employee that is there to serve the client, not do whatever it takes to make YOU comfortable. The posters that refer to their friends in BigLaw having to dress better, maybe that is why your friends are in BigLaw and you are not. Just sitting and watching lawyers over the years, one can pretty much predict those who will be successful and those who won’t. The whiners and complainers and those that have to have everything to suit them, usually don’t make partner. Their self-interest takes over their team interest. The ones who show up when they feel like it, spend their time visiting, telling jokes, and spicing up their language with four-letter words, are usually passed over, as well. Some pick up on that and learn to respect their position as well as those around them. Soem can never adjust and just go somewhere else. BigLaw is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you choose it, you are choosing to do things the way that law firm does things. You work for them, they don’t work for you. Just thought I’d give another side to the story.
Posted by NL - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 56 minutes ago

I am so glad I went into solo practice directly out of law school. I had fabulous grades, but I didn’t even look for the BigLaw job because I don’t want anything to do with working 80-hour weeks for people who really think that your intelligence and legal abilities are commensurate with what you’re wearing.

I practice family law and criminal defense law, and I wear business casual unless I’m actually in court. My clients are happy to hire me, happy with my work, and glad to pay my bills. They like having a lawyer who has the respect to talk to them like human beings instead of case files, and they could care less what I’m wearing. By the time my loans come out of deferment, I’ll be making those payments and still laughing all the way to the bank while having a great quality of life. If you know what you want, you really can have it all.

I wish you all the best over there in your overpriced designer suits, but really? Glad not to be you. Hope that works out for you.
Posted by Denverlawdog - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 50 minutes ago

WOW! I cannot believe that a big firm would put up with such lack of respect and violation of policy. Obviously, there is too much emphasis on high dollar associates problems and how instead of really dealing with the issue, big firms try to use consultants. It is simple, abide by company policy or get out. I am sure there are numerious individuals out there that would love to make $160K right out of school and dress however the firm requires. It does not mean you have to buy crazy, expensive, designer suits. Just go down to Men Warehouse and buy some that look great and update the biz casual wardrobe. Have some pride. So to the big firms who are having problems described by the article… there are better people out there who would love to work for you and show you more respect, not to mention probably work harder than what you have now and provide better service.

By the way, I wear whatever I want, which is respectfully business casual or a suit when needed.
Posted by Coastal Law - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 50 minutes ago

I’m with Palms (#93), and, unknowingly, probably a close associate. I grew up and went to law school in the Big City, but decided to actually start practicing at the beach. And while some would probably be aghast to learn that I’m rarely found in the office wearing anything other than a golf shirt and slacks, such attire seems far less ridiculous than the white seer-sucker suits and string ties favored by the Colonel Sanders section of the local bar (not to mention the bright purple/yellow/royal blue “pimp” suits preferred by another segment). When 3/4 of a jury panel shows up to court in shorts and t-shirts, even just a sport coat can make you feel overdressed.
Posted by Steve Perkins - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 46 minutes ago

I can’t help but note that most (not all) of the pro-formal comments on this thread are logical, reasoned, and very well written both in terms of substance as well as form. Many (not all) of the anti-formal comments use incorrect spelling, poor grammar, bad capitalization, excessive exclaimation points, and awkward abbreviations that look like a text message one might send to a Facebook page.

The premise, as I understand it here, is that casual dress signifies that one is a BETTER laywer, because they don’t have to depend on physical appearances as a “crutch”. Perhaps the latter phenomenon is sometimes the case. However, I am deeply skeptical in people’s ability to “turn it on” and conduct themselves in a professional manner only when needed. If you generally look like a slob, and generally write like a slob, it’s quite a leap of faith for me to believe that you THINK with a mind like a steel trap and can change those outward appearances 180 degrees on a dime.
Posted by Steve - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 35 minutes ago

The difference of opinion is largely separated by a generation gap here. Younger more liberal-minded people generally dress down. Older more conservative-minded people dress up. The older people have the attitude that if you dress well that must mean you are smart and professional. The younger people believe it’s ridiculous and that dress should not be indicative of ability. I’m not sure that there’s a corelation between sloppiness of dress and sloppiness of mind. I’d be surprised if a lawyer REALLY believed that or if you are just being loose in your argument in order to better fit with your desired result. Einstein famously forgot to wear his pants. You should see the offices of the academics and lawyers I work with. They would blow your mind, but they are brilliant nonetheless and handle some of the nation’s top cases. Should we also make it a rule not to have files on your floor or 3 feet of mixed papers on your desk?

Remember, people used to believe the earth was flat.
Posted by Anonymous Lawyer - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 34 minutes ago

This debate makes me sad to be part of a profession full of such pompous douchebags. I mean…the woman who is so proud of her Rock and Republic jeans…people who actually have the gall to complain about student loans when making six figures… Come on, people!
Posted by MS - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 34 minutes ago

I agree with Steve’s observation. The writing in a lot of these postings is what’s truly “abysmal.“
Posted by David - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 21 minutes ago

What are “yoga pants?“ Anyhow, I agree that associates should dress appropriately, at least if they are meeting clients or going to courts. The busines attires are a bit of the uniform and image the firms want to project. But, then I personally think it is nothing wrong to more dress casually when there are no clients to meet or court appearances, of course, within limits. Heck, it is Friday, I have no court apeparances or meeting today and I am wearing jeans and a sweater as I write this.
Posted by Whynotcontribute - 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 hours, 1 minute ago

I never thought I would contribute to such a comment frenzy, but I have been “sucked in” just like #83.

The best comment I have seen so far is #51, who seems to know how the game is played. #51 is sharp enough to see that combining a good mind with proper dressing can get you ahead of everyone who does not have both. The rest of the debate seems to be about what is more important if you only want a mind or if you only want a “dapper dresser” as your lawyer.

We are all fighting psychology and the principles of transference. Some people buy fancy cars from people that dress up and some people think owning a fancy car is a hollow status symbol. The people who think the car is a hollow symbol will think the owner of that car to also be hollow. The owner of the car may think the other person to be unsophisticated, etc. Some senior partners are entrenched in their ideas of how it ought to be a world full of $2500 suits and some new associates are entrenched in how things ought to change to yoga pants. Everyone reads into the actions of others based on their own view of the world.

Personally, I like nice clothes and I can be comfortable in a suit and tie or casual clothes. I was a “K to 3L” freight train and have been out of law school now 10 years and work in a midsize firm in a large city. I have also worked in a small firm in a college town. Working in different firms of different sizes has given me a full range of experiences about how different people want different things. I like my job and I like dressing up or down as it fits the situation because I actually like the psychology involved in using people’s transference to my advantage and the advantage of my clients. I think this approach should be used by everyone, whether in BigLaw or Legal Aid.

Well, I have burned enough billable time on a Friday and must now return to the salt mines. Wouldn’t want the world economy to fall apart because of my letting precious six-minute increments of time go by without someone paying for each of them…
Posted by RHG - 9 months, 3 weeks, 3 hours, 58 minutes ago

You young whippersnappers don’t know what you’re talking about. Before that punk Kennedy became president and SHOWED AT HIS INAUGURATION WITHOUT A HAT, everybody wore the same uniform. Since then it’s been a downhill slide into chaos. Those who have struggled for uniformity have perished (Arthur Andersen’s official policy in the 1980s was still that men must wear hats when going outside, look where it got them).

The real issue is to know what is appropriate. If you’re meeting with a client and are in doubt whether a suit is required, wear a suit! If you are inspecting 20 years worth of documents that have been barely preserved in guano covered boxes while wearing a suit, then you’re an idiot. Otherwise, find out what’s appropriate for the situation or location. For example: If you’ve got meetings in the bay area, you can dress up in Frisco, but you might not get the time of day wearing a suit in the silicone valley. Conversely, Los Angeles and Dallas tend to be more casual than their neighbors Orange County & Houston (which have inferiority issues).
Posted by SF2L - 9 months, 3 weeks, 3 hours, 56 minutes ago

Let me put it this way, BigLaw kids: you are not required to wear a suit to work as some form of oppression. While it may be true that you, directly, are not meeting with clients on any given day, there is a good chance someone else is. Clients and/or opposing counsel are walking the halls of your office all the time and you, as a new associate, represent your firm even when you are hustling to the bathroom or heading to the kitchen for a snack. Look the part. Appearance matters; it is often the first (and sometimes only) impression of you others have. Once you’ve established yourself you can start dressing pretty much any way you want. You need to earn it first and while getting amazing grades in law school is certainly commendable it doesn’t translate into a professional reputation that allows you to play by your own rules.
Posted by Adriana Pampanas - 9 months, 3 weeks, 3 hours, 32 minutes ago

Speaking for the younger generation… I am still in law school. But, my opinion is that I think there is nothing wrong with people dressing comfortable on days that they do not have to meet with clients in person or hold any meetings. But, if you’re going to be cooped up in your office all day, then why not be comfortable? Obviously there is a line to be drawn, professionalism should be a priority and I feel lawyers are mature enough to know when they need to dress well.
Posted by Gazinnia - 9 months, 3 weeks, 3 hours, 24 minutes ago

We are in service providers in a professional service organization. Dress in the manner that meets your clients’ expectations.

I work with many start ups as well as publicly traded technology companies in a transactional practice. Many find professional attire both alienating as well as further evidence that our exhorbitant fees are unjustified. That our focus is on crass materialism rather than their interests.

I also work with a number of more traditional clients that still adhere to the trappings of classism embodied in professional attire. So be it.

I’ll dress in whatever ways that allow me to be effective for my clients. Its not that hard really. Attire (or any personal conduct really) should not be a barrier between a lawyer and his or her client. Anything after that is really missing the point.
Posted by Bob Briggs - 9 months, 3 weeks, 3 hours, 22 minutes ago

I sadly must agree with those who say appearance matters, if only because small minds continue to exist who judge people by their clothes. Some of those small minds are: opposing counsel; judges; juries; paying clients; senior partners; yourself. Rebel (as I did) if you will against the corporate culture, but don’t expect to be rewarded for it; wearing jeans at the wrong moment can cost you. I still remember the day as a young AUSA when I got on the elevator in the L.A. federal courthouse with a sportcoat on (I really prefer the tweedy collegiate look - makes me look young), having a senior supervisor in the US Attorney’s Office look me up and down and ask, “You going to the race track today?“ That was in 1985. Now I live and work (happily) in Alaska, where wearing a suit and leather oxfords would invite ridicule as pretentious, especially in the 6 inch powder snow dump we had this morning. Now I’m the only one who wears a tie, and then only on hearing days, I get to wear tweeds, and people think I’m being pretentious wearing a tie. Such is life. Ah, timesheets are due, gotta go back to work!
Posted by Just J - 9 months, 3 weeks, 2 hours, 59 minutes ago

Presentation is always important, I agree. However, I agree with many of the comments that call for business casual on days where no client contact is occurring. News flash to the older generation….younger clients usually welcome someone not in a suit, but knows how to dress to professionally, but not “stuffy”. People need to get with the times….
Posted by xoxo - 9 months, 3 weeks, 2 hours, 55 minutes ago

I’m graduating this year, and looking forward to starting my professional career. Sure, I like being comfortable like anyone else, but I enjoy dressing up for work and carrying a professional image. Hard work and intelligence are both very important, but what they say about first impressions still rings true… (not to mention consistent impressions).

Is coming to work in a suit (or realistic business attire) really asking THAT much of us? It’s not like anyone is asking us to wear a barrister’s wig!
http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/life/spring1999/wigs/
Posted by Sarah - 9 months, 3 weeks, 2 hours, 49 minutes ago

I was raised by two lawyers. I avoided law and am now doing scientific research in academia. It’s beautiful to be an environment in which my professional image has nothing to do with how I dress. It’s dangerous to make the mistake of assuming the well-dressed young woman can’t be serious about her work or that the rumpled man in the corner is probably too mathematical to be useful. You have to shed stereotypes in this field to forge the right collaborations and get work done. I feel sorry for my mother whenever she asks what I wore at a conference; I like fashion, but it should never interfere with work.
Posted by Been There - 9 months, 3 weeks, 2 hours, 46 minutes ago

As a 30+ year lawyer (and Biglaw firm partner and woman), I am somewhat amused by those junior associates who think that appropriate dress in the office is not essential to establishing credibility, but driving a BMW is. I guess they just meet more clients and co-workers when driving their new cars than they do when walking the halls to their offices. I sure wish that had been true of my practice when starting out.

On the other hand, maybe it is just that supporting a car that costs $40K or more is less expensive than supporting your professional image at work when you are paying off all of those law school loans (a new invention, by the way). We do have to make our own choices and live by the consequences, whether we like them or not.
Posted by Sarah - 9 months, 3 weeks, 2 hours, 6 minutes ago

I’m the author of comment #113.

I hypothesize that the reason the legal profession relies on fashion is that there are relatively fewer signals of quality. In academia, quality is readily apparent in papers and talks; there are fewer people to know, and we know each other well. I imagine clients don’t have much information to rank the relatively quality firms or individual lawyers. “Professional attire” is a surrogate signal for competence.

As others have said, clients that don’t dress formally may prefer that their counsels don’t either. I wonder if they also use more sophisticated criteria to judge your quality.
Posted by Ryan - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 hour, 57 minutes ago

Seems to me that it is simply a matter of professionalism; if you are hired as a professional and expected to wear a suit everyday, then you wear a suit everyday. Doesn’t seem that hard, does it?
Posted by Client - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 hour, 55 minutes ago

114 posts in the middle of the day on dress habits? Aren’t you people supposed to be working during weekdays?
Posted by Alger Hiss - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 hour, 44 minutes ago

As far as I can tell, lawyers under 40 are functionally illiterate and dress like they choose garments by random lot. That twit with the boat and the polyphonic “suckas!!!!!!!!!!“ ought to be subjected to a laryngectomy or a lobotomy or both. I know his boat. It has a Jolly Roger on it.
Posted by Ryan - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 hour, 34 minutes ago

In response to #118: I think you’re being unfair. I’m 26 and I wear a suit most every day, even days when it’s not strictly required.
I think there are some under 40 suit-wearing purists out there. Or at least I hope there are.
Posted by CB - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 hour, 32 minutes ago

Maybe this should be another heads-up to big firm recruiters that perhaps they’re not getting the best people for the job looking only at graduates from top 10 law schools. If it’s really an issue that these people don’t know how to dress for their $165/year jobs then what other errors in common sense and judgment are they going to make? Speaking as an in-house attorney, I can’t tell you how many times we ask ourselves “How did THIS person end up at THAT firm?“ The answer, of course, is a 3.8 GPA in undergrad that got them to the right law school. That’s not enough for me, particularly if the 25 y.o. across the desk is wearing jeans.
Posted by David Zarski - 9 months, 3 weeks, 58 minutes ago

I think the only correct answer to the question is “Always dress slightly better than the client.“
Posted by AAD - 9 months, 3 weeks, 56 minutes ago

Twenty years ago the large firms were hiring writing consultants because law school graduates did not know how to write acceptable Engllish. I guess this is progress.
Posted by John Tweedy - 9 months, 3 weeks, 46 minutes ago

Each Friday morning I read the latest dispatch from the BigLaw generation wars, and the long and vituperative comments that inevitably follow. Whether over salary, hours, or dress, the acrimony strikes me as the symptom of work environments where people cannot honestly express themselves to people down the hall, so they vent their rage anonymously to a little box at the bottom of an article on a screen. Having worked at a big firm, I understand the frustration. But we lawyers are supposed to be communicators and problem-solvers. Venting at strangers does not compensate for our inability to communicate directly with each other about our own workplaces.
Posted by Sher - 9 months, 3 weeks, 33 minutes ago

This was a topic in the 70’s when summer clerks applied for jobs wearing ‘Arizona’ birkenstocks. They may have been hip on campus, but they also quickly learned how to dress for the consumption of the client. For heaven’s sake, you aren’t being asked to wear shackles or spend a bundle. Just to dress appropriately.
Posted by INFP - 9 months, 3 weeks, 8 minutes ago

Can’t we all just get along???
Posted by Anon - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 45 minutes ago

Are we forgetting that much of this confusion about work attire can be attributed to the large law firms themselves? Prior to the dot com boom, many large law firms required their attorneys to wear suits. Once the dot com boom was in full swing, many of these same large law firms went to business casual, and then to kakis and golf shirts. Now, that currying the favor of the dot comers is all but dead, these same large law firms are lamenting the fact their attorneys do not know how to properly dress for an office environment.
Posted by Anon - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 36 minutes ago

Seersucker is always appropriate.
Posted by nn - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 25 minutes ago

I have to say that I’m not sure I’d trust the judgment of someone who’d drop $2500 on a suit. I’d prefer an attorney with a little more sense. ;-P
Posted by In My PJs - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 24 minutes ago

As I sit here in my PJs sipping a cup of java and reading #107, I reflect momentarily on how happy I am to be a transactional attorney who (a) doesn’t have to go to court, (b) works in Silicon Valley where suits are not required and clients wear jeans and (c) where I can sit in my PJs in my home office and still accomplish a lot in my six minute increments of time (more than I can in the office on some days). Vive la business casual!
Posted by Ryan - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 24 minutes ago

Seersucker is only appropriate in the summer time or tropical climates year-round.

The rules aren’t hard, but you have to know them, Anon.
Posted by Barbara - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 18 minutes ago

What is it that our mothers taught us about first impressions? Buy the right professional-looking clothes, that fit within your budget, and fit your body well enough to be comfortable. Do you really want to be confused with the guy or girl who works in the mail room?
Posted by Judge Jim Barlow - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, 12 minutes ago

Why should not a lawyer want to look like a lawyer? I have tried hundreds of cases myself and never wore expensive suits, nor jewelry—just a watch and wedding ring. If I wanted to sell a verdict to a Cathlic juror why would I want to waive a Masonic ring in his face.
On the other hand if clothes make the difference then why not a horsehair wig and robe like English b

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