New York Lawyer
May 12, 2005

Q:
The column last week, about what a male BigLaw associate should wear, got a variety of reactions. Here are a few, and my responses:

Submit Your Question

Find More Answers

A:

One reader responded that it's not how much you pay, it's how you look: "This is not a question but a comment re: the question about how much an associate should spend for a suit. Please tell this associate that price is not everything and instead of focusing on prices he should focus on the material of his suits and on how these suits fit.

"Indeed, unless he spreads the news or keep the price tag on his suits, nobody will ever know how much he spends to buy them. On the contrary, someone may notice how nice the material is (or how delicate it is) and if that associate is well-dressed, i.e., the suit fits, the shirt and the tie match, and the shoes are perfect (do not neglect the shoes!).

"Keep it simple! There are a lot of things a Big Law Firm associate can buy with his big paycheck; unfortunately, elegance is not one of them."

Good point - why pay more? Just make sure that you actually do look good, though; price often does correspond with quality.

Another reader wrote about how dress can signal whether you fit in or not: "What would you advise for someone who has not yet found the right fit, no pun intended, in respect of firms? I started my career with a very formal biglaw firm. Because of the environment, I purchased a number of good quality (but alas, expensive) suits. Unfortunately, I had to move cities for personal reasons, which meant leaving that firm.

"In my new city, I joined a firm that was less formal (partners wore cheaper, less stylish suits from the early 80s - probably from Sears). One year later, I moved to a small firm where the partners wore jeans and sandals. The year following that, I moved in-house where people dress in "business casual" attire.

"The truth is, I cannot afford to buy a new wardrobe every time I change positions. I am still wearing the same suits I wore at my first firm. I'm sure that this alienates some people - but until I join a firm on a permanent basis, I don't want to invest in clothing that will make me look like everyone else in the environment."

"Any thoughts (other than that I should not have moved cities)?"

An old saying goes something like, "Beware of ventures that require new clothes." Well, come on; sometimes you have to buy new clothes. But the saying has a grain of truth. Part of the reason you are in this revolving wardrobe thing may be that you haven't focused on what you want. Culture is a critical dimension to every workplace (and dress is a prime indicator of culture), so ask yourself: Where have you felt comfortable? When you felt comfortable, did you also enjoy the work? Give yourself enough of a break that you can determine what's important to you, what kind of work you like, what sorts of people you want to work with, what atmosphere you prefer, and then you can narrow your job search so that you land somewhere that makes sense. A nice side-benefit will be that you won't be wearing Armani one day and Sears suits the next.

Yet another reader weighed in on female garb: "My comment about female clothes at the workplace: they are mostly too casual. If male associates and partners wear pants (of a suit) and shirts (with or without ties), the only match to it on the female side is a skirt (of a skirt suit) or pants (of a pants suit) plus a blouse (or perhaps a matching, dark sweater or matching shirt). Female associates complain a lot that they are not taken seriously at the workplace; no wonder, if they very often look just like the secretary next door."

Women are more likely than men to be misidentified in the workplace as secretaries or other support staff. This is because they continue to be a minority in the profession, causing people to assume they must not be lawyers. This dynamic is more apparent, it is true, if they wear overly casual clothing. I have heard from more than one senior female attorney who bemoan too-casually dressed younger female associates, because they feel that people will take them even less seriously than they already do. I'm of two minds on this; on the one hand, I think women should be able to go casual to the same degree that guys can; on the other I acknowledge that the rest of the world is still catching up on these matters. If you go very casual, be prepared for the occasional request to make some copies, and have an answer ready ("I'm sure I can help you find someone to make copies."). Also, good quality clothes, whether casual or not, help to overcome some of the appearance and image issues.

Sincerely,
Holly English