Business casual goes trendy at some elite law firms
Business casual is taking on a new meaning at some law firms.
According to Law.com (sub. req.), lawyers at elite firms “are embracing trendier business-casual wear as the new workday norm and updating their denim choices for those even more relaxed Fridays.”
The article offers some examples. At Milbank Tweed, Hadley & McCoy, some male lawyers are going bold, wearing bright blue pants on some weekdays and picking fashionable denim for Fridays. Female lawyers at Mayer Brown and Nixon Peabody express individuality with accessories.
Some firms have long embraced casual dress on Fridays, while others only recently allowed it. Mayer Brown’s New York office began allowing casual Fridays after an office move last year, while Milbank’s New York office began allowing jeans on Fridays in 2014.
Milbank partner Daniel Perry, who leads the firm’s associate life committee, noted an initial adjustment. Some were choosing shoes that were overly casual—“think lawyers in flip-flops,” Law.com says. Shoe choices improved after the standards were made clear.
