The battle between skirt suit and pant suit is fierce, one that pits traditional values against comfort. Here is my personal list of pros and cons.
attire
There is an epidemic in the legal community. Maybe it is because of the economy. Maybe it is because the lackluster hiring rate for new lawyers. Perhaps it has something to do with the Mayan Doomsday (Just three weeks away!!!). However, we are in the Trust Tree so lets get this out in the open. The legal community is committing malpractice . . . of fashion. This might be considered mean to some of you. That means you dress inappropriately. Thus, without further adieu, Bitter Lawyer presents: 10 Signs You Are Dressed Unprofessionally.
There is a double standard in appropriate court room attire for male and female attorneys. Men wear suit jackets and ties to court every time. I’ve seen 6’3” men borrow the suit jackets of their 5’9” coworkers to go to court when they’ve misplaced their own, men ridiculed or reprimanded for choosing a bowtie over the traditional, and male attorneys who won’t even enter the courtroom if they feel less than professionally dressed. On the other hand, I’ve seen women in dresses I’d wear to the beach, bedazzled jean jackets, make up I’d only wear on Halloween, and shoes only a “dancer” should wear to work. So, I’m going to discuss and occasionally proffer advice on what I see as problematic in women’s court attire, from head to toe.
Makeup: There’s a place for bar or club makeup. And it’s at the bar or in the club, not the courtroom. There’s a place to test out new makeup techniques. It’s your bathroom, not the courtroom. If you’re using glitter or smoky eye or really any color found in a rainbow on your eyelids as part of your professional court appearance, you’re doing it wrong. I’m going to skip blushes and lipsticks and just say this: even clowns don’t want to look like clowns. As usual, a little goes a long way. Don’t overdo it.
