How Litigators Dress
When people think of how lawyers dress, they often think of suits. Indeed, a whole television program was dedicated to the idea that litigators wore nice suits. But the truth is that fashion - not just for men - in the profession is more varied and nuanced. It isn't discussed much, but I am sure that clients and observers think about how they see how lawyers present themselves. This is particularly important because how lawyers dress may affect how they are able to convince or relate to other people.
Why should you read this post about litigation attire?
You want to know a part of the job of a litigator that involves a lot of work and strong opinions but that clients may not care about at all.
You want to know how I dress at work for a report you are doing on me,
You are starting work at a firm and need to go clothes shopping but don’t know what to buy.
Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_show#/media/File:Osklen,_SPFW_N43.jpg
At The Office
Every office is different. Some workplaces are stuffier by nature, priding themselves in being elite institutions. Others are more relaxed, taking pride in being a place that people can do their best work in by being comfortable. As a result, different law firms take different approaches to dress.
The term that many people use for the fanciest law firms is “white shoe.” Although the term originated as a description of fancy college students, it connotes an image of well-dressed lawyers. But the truth is that I have never once seen a lawyer at a fancy firm wear white shoes. I mostly see people at fancy firms dress on the upper end of business casual.
The place where I see lawyers dress the fanciest is in government. Government lawyers, possibly because they are often in court or need to project an image of authority, often wear very formal attire, such as suits.
In many law firms, people dressed more relaxed, in the mid-range of business casual. And some organizations have people do their jobs in jeans and a t-shirt. The truth is that one does not need to dress up to type out documents or research the law online. It is a little silly, after all, to wear a nice tie and expensive suit to just write emails.
At several law jobs, I often wore khaki pants, a button down shirt, and a blazer.
With Clients
Even when people dress less formally at the office, they may still dress up when meeting a client. Many lawyers keep a set of fancier clothes at the office for when clients come. They may also use those clothes for Zoom meetings.
How a lawyer dresses with clients may be a product of what image the lawyer wants to project to the client. If the lawyer is expensive and wants the client to feel like they are getting high quality work for the big money they are paying, then wearing a suit or very fancy clothes makes sense. But if a client has a cultural or socio-economic barrier with an attorney, it may be a better idea for a lawyer to dress more modestly to help the client be comfortable.
When I meet clients, I often wear a suit.
At Court
When arguing before a judge (or attending an arbitration or mediation), many people dress up. Part of this is because going to court is one of the parts of being a lawyer that is most associated with being a lawyer, and so people may dress consistently with their ideal of the job. Another part of this is that a lawyer may believe that a polished outfit and presentation may be more persuasive than a disheveled one. And if opposing counsel or the client is there, then the attorney may want to dress nicely to let the adversary know that they are tough and the client know they are in good hands.
One exception to the rule that lawyers dress well for court is when a lawyer needs to argue before a jury. Wearing very expensive suits may turn off a jury, who may find the lawyer out of touch. Many lawyers who argue in front of juries prefer to wear plain suits so they can relate a little more easily with the jury.
People often dress up for depositions, but lawyers are more inconsistent here. Since there is no judge present, many treat the event a little more relaxed and dress in a business casual way instead.
At court and at depositions, I always wear a suit.