You don’t need to know much about clothes to pick an attorney out of the crowd based on what he or she is wearing. One of the things a lawyer needs to do in order to succeed in the profession is to look like every other lawyer. Thus, while all lawyers may or may not be alike, they do look alike. As a Washington DC fashion consultant whose clientele consists primarily of lawyers said: “You can change the houses but the contents of the closets are always the same.”
Beyond all lawyers looking alike, the trained eye can determine the attorney’s career stage by what is being worn. The differences are sometimes subtle -- but they are more often obvious.
The Summer Associate
Based on the choice of clothes, the person at The Firm easiest to identify is the summer associate. Money is tight for the future lawyer and they need every dime earned over the summer to make it through the next school year. Upgrading one’s wardrobe is simply not in the budget and the summer associate has to get by with what’s already in the closet. For these reasons, the summer associate’s fashion statement says: “Gee, my parents bought me this suit for my high school graduation and it still almost fits.”
After wearing the same thing to the office the first six or seven days on the job, the summer associate begins to feel a bit self-conscious. Other lawyers, he notices, have more than one suit. He asks a few of the other summer associates what they think. They, knowing they are in direct competition with each other for a limited number of full-time jobs at The Firm, assure their colleague that the suit he wears to work each day is perfectly appropriate office attire. “Don’t worry,” he is told, “Tom Wolfe still wears white suits.”
The Associate
It’s tough to look good in clothes that you’ve slept in—especially when you sleep on the office floor. In any other business, being seen at the office wearing the same thing two days in a row is a sign of an overnight sexual adventure. For lawyers, however, it’s a sign that you’re an associate and last night was another all-nighter at The Firm. Thus, unlike the summer associate, the full-time associate sends a positive message by wearing the same thing to the office day after day. The worse the clothes look, the harder partners will think the associate is working.
The Disbarred Lawyer Who Now Works as a Paralegal
On this lawyer’s back, you’ll see remnants of the glory days, before he was caught, disbarred, and did his time. Now he’s back—and so are the clothes he used to wear. Look for the double-breasted suits and tassels on the loafers. (Note: these items are also typically worn by entertainment lawyer and PI attorneys who have just won multimillion-million dollar verdicts and are now suffering through the resulting mid-life crisis.)
The Partner
The major mystery of law firm fashion is this: if only a small percentage of the general population is color blind, why do ninety percent of the partners at The Firm appear to be color blind? The easiest-to-notice part of this is the necktie. There’s no real need to go on about this in any detail. The mere mention of lawyers’ selection of neckties brings hideous examples to mind.
While on the topic of neckwear, I should address the bow tie. The bow tie is much like the yellow jersey worn by the current leader in the Tour de France. According to an unwritten law firm rule, the bow tie is worn by The Firm’s most pompous lawyer.
Another way for partners to distinguish themselves fashion wise is to accessorize. Some of the wardrobe accessories that work best for lawyers are the Phi Beta Kappa key (whether earned or bought), a beeper, and, I need to mention this because so many partners forget, a belt. Suspenders were cool in the late 80s and were a good way to show a little personality. Now they just look kind of stupid.
The Of Counsel
This is the lawyer who has hung around The Firm just a bit too long. As a result, he’s going for the “My wife died and now I have to take care of myself” look. As far as compliance with the office dress code, the of counsel’s clothes are probably as far off as that halter top worn by the secretary from the temp agency. But who at The Firm is going to talk to him about it? Besides, it doesn’t really matter what he wears because the old guy is usually hidden in a small room in an obscure location and only allowed to come out when there are no clients in the office.
See the following articles for more information:
- How Much Does It Pay?
- Lawyers and Money
- 2015 Summer Associate Salaries of Top Law Firms
- Top 7 Tips for Succeeding as a First Year Associate: How to Succeed as a New Associate in a Law Firm
