Oct 17 2008
Law School Dress Codes
Generally, it appears there are few, if any, law school dress codes, especially regarding informality. Many students begin law school dressed like they did in college. Students often learn quickly, however, that the same is not true for the world of law practice, particularly law firms. Lawyers, it seems, have uniforms. While the uniforms — suits — do not have team insignias, they are the calling card of lawyers nonetheless. It is interesting to see how the uniforms start infiltrating the classroom in the second year, especially when law firm interviewing begins. By the third year, no one looks twice when a student shows up in business attire. Perhaps this is just another way the law seems to creep up on us and “change our way of thinking.”
One Response to “Law School Dress Codes”
For me, wearing some version of “the uniform” is a way to remind myself to behave and act my age (for a change). Sometimes, if important people are lurking in the shadows, it’s a way to remind myself to put my iconoclasm in check for a while and watch what I say. It’s also a way to take myself a little more seriously than usual – a tactic I tend to employ most often when I really need to focus and get serious work done.
Oddly, a few days of focusing, getting work done, and taking myself seriously usually leave me completely exhausted, which is when I show up in a baseball cap, ripped jeans, and Chuck Taylors