I’ve been lucky enough to hop around in court over the past several months and have even had some nifty misdemeanor court appearances. Listen up folks, anyone who thinks they are too good for misdemeanor work doesn’t know the joy of a 19 year old client who is thrilled to pieces over his nolle for an open container (which is a misdemeanor in Maryland, by the way, even though it only carries, as a penalty, a fine of $100.00. But, for the rest of your life you check ‘yes’ on the box ‘have you ever been convicted of a crime.’) Anyway, being in local court means you see lots of local attorneys and yes, you get to see the public defenders who do incredible work. I mean, really, who is more knowledgeable about the court, the prosecutors and the cops than the men and women who toil in those courts day in and day out? It is a thankless job and you can see it on their faces.
Dearest public defenders, please answer me this – why do we see it in your clothes?
I know, I know, I’m the first one to roll my eyes when people start talking about clothing that should and should not be worn to the office or to court. I cannot abide the ABA writing about wearing jumpers versus manly suits or whether I can wear open toed patent leather heels to court. (The answer, by the way, is yes. Yes, I can.) I saw a post about what color nail polish you should wear to work, for Christ’s sake. I mean, come on. That is just ridiculous. Why would you waste your time on something that trivial? But here, today, I’m going to write about clothes. And I am going to say this because I just can’t not say it.
– You should dress like you know what you are doing. You should. It’s true. You should dress like you are a lawyer who is going to court and representing clients even if they are clients who have not paid you because you are a public defender. You should not look like a lawyer who does not get paid to be in court because, well, you do get paid to be in court, just not by individual clients.
Am I being hypocritical here? “Hey notguilty, you are always talking about how it’s what you say that matters and whether you can actually practice law, not what you wear. Isn’t this just another blog about fashion?”
Well, maybe. But let’s make it clear that I start from the premise that if you dress like a turd and act like a turd it doesn’t matter. And if you dress like a turd but say amazing things and get incredible results then it also doesn’t matter. However, if people are starting from zero – meaning “Oh, you aren’t a real lawyer, you are a PD” why reinforce that with looking like you actually don’t care about the people you represent since you can’t be bothered to dress for the event.
I know PD’s don’t make a lot of money. I also know they have the free-spirited hearts of hippies and, therefore, dress like hippies. But at some point in order to be taken seriously by your clients you have to put away your clearly thrift store purchased blue corduroy blazer and throw on a smart suit and a pair of heels (please get rid of the brown loafers, I BEG OF YOU) and act like you are exactly what you are – the one other person, besides the prosecutor, who knows that courtroom like the back of her hand.
You could say — and in fact you did say — that it is because of the low pay. But I am with you on this one. If you want to be respected as a lawyer, dress like a lawyer.
There were some PDs in Philly who almost made it a badge of honor to dress poorly. It was almost as if they were saying, hey, I am so good, I don’t need to impress anyone.
I don’t know Mirriam – I know this is the stereotype, and I know some PD’s fit it, but have you seen how amazing my colleagues look? With few exceptions, I’ve never worked with such good dressers. Assuming you are focusing on State PD’s, I never found the PD’s in Montgomery County to fit the stereotype you are describing, and frankly, I saw way more mis-fit/odd dresser types amongst the panel attorneys. I’m not sure where you were when you made these observations, but I think they may rooted in outdated stereotypes. That said, I am strongly in the camp of those attorneys who only dress up when they have to go to court — I have proudly shown up for office and jail visits wearing jeans – not sloppy jeans, but jeans, being confident enough in my ability to convince my clients of my worth through my words and deeds, instead of my dress, and I know that lots of people would disagree with this approach.
Amen to that! In Cali, I’ve seen PD’s wear flip-flops in court!!!! I have also seen Uggs, untailored pants, and t-shirts. And let me clarify, if your top is cotton, has no buttons or embellishment, and has cropped sleeved, it is a t-shirt. No matter what you call it, it’s a t-shirt. Also, if you can go straight to the gym and workout in your “work” clothes, that’s an issue. Regarding the price issue, Ross (you do have Ross in Maryland, right?) carries Calvin Klein dresses and suits. No excuses.
Well said. There’s no reason to show up dressed like a slouch. You’re not a slouch -sure you might be over worked and under appreciated- but you’re smart and professional and should present yourself as such. But I’m just restating whats already been said here. So let me say this: There is a reason that TV and movies show PD’s as disheveled and disorganized – don’t perpetuate this stereotype!
Joanna,
First, you are Joanna Silver so it’s not like you can’t get away with it if you wanted to look like a turd. But you don’t. And, I’m not talking about federal PD’s either. But I have to disagree with you on the Montgomery County ones.
And yes, it’s not limited to PD’s, but if you are a private lawyer and dress like crap, well, that’s on you. I just think if you are starting from a reputation of being not a ‘real lawyer’ why perpetuate the image?
I’m a PD, and I have the same rant, and I’m not quiet about it in my own office, where too often the women do dress like turds, or like they’re ready for a night out on the town. But the last thing I want is for my client to think that because his/her attorney dresses like crap they must be getting crap representation. Unfortunately, very few of my colleagues agree with me.
I am a former PD, and agree totally with your comment. In a perfect world, appearance would not matter, but then again, we would not have jobs. This is especially true with females, because their clothing choices are more varied than the male “uniform”.
Nothing wrong with dressing like a clerk, school teacher, bank teller, etc., but if one wants to be treated as a professional, dress like it. All the “you’re not a real lawyer” crap is hard enough to take without giving people ammo by looking like a bum.
I could not agree with you more. Hello? Take pride in what you look like. As we all know, appearances do matter. You do not have to spend a lot to look polished. A good hair cut, manicured nails, and clean shoes are a good start…….
If it ever comes down to the point where a wardrobe is a determinating factor in life and death Im going to start walking around bare ass
Oh how I am tired to death of the whole PDs-dress-like-burnt-out-undergrad-professors line and, oh, for so many reasons.
1) Do some PDs dress like crap? Sure. Why? Some have bad style. Some barely earn enough money to survive (you try supporting a family and paying student loans on $50K a year). Some just don’t give a shit. But a lot of us (I’m obviously a PD) do invest in our wardrobes. Granted, I haven’t gone to great lengths to get every one of my suits professionally tailored (sorry private bar, you’re just going to have to deal). I suffer through day-long dockets in heels that would bring half of you to your knees, so I sometimes cut myself a break and wear a pair of loafers or flats because I have to be able to walk to deal with the 40 clients I have on the docket that day, and I’d like to not be in a wheelchair by the time I’m 39. So if my shoes bother you, I frankly don’t give a damn. I wish I had the kind of time to be bothered by other people’s footwear, let alone to blog about it. I really, really do.
2) Let’s make a deal: if you don’t assume all PDs are slobs, I won’t assume all private attorneys are whiny, self-absorbed, shallow narcissists. Cool? Great.
3) Spare me the back-handed compliments (nobody knows the courts better than the PDs…but, God, their OUTFITS!). Or at least don’t have the nerve to bother me in the middle of a busy docket with some inane question about the 2 cases you have on that day and then knock my entire profession with tired ass stereotypes.
My husband is a PD and he, and many of his colleagues, dress very well. You honestly can’t tell the difference between the private attorneys and PDs in many cases (except for the guys wearing $3,000 suits, they’re pretty obviously private). However, there are a few stragglers who wear a mismatched jacket and blazer, or ill fitting suits, or something 30 years out of date.
We just talked about this, and I chalked it up to the attorneys honestly not knowing (a) how to dress, and (b) that the way they dress reflects poorly. No supervisor in this county would approach an attorney for the way they dress. He however knows that some of the PDs dress “down” in order to appear more accessible to their clients.
Personally, I’m just happy my husband is one of the snappy dressers; as a PD, he has a lot more leeway in being able to dress on the fashionable-trendy side of professional, whereas some of his private counterparts (and the DAs) are all but required to stick to the dark suit-white shirt-stripe tie trifecta.
Well MOPD if this doesn’t apply to you I don’t know why you’d get in a tizzy. If you dress well and sound like you know what you are doing then what’s the issue.
I’m a female PD in California. I always wear a suit to court, but only pants suits and flat shoes. Unless I’m in trial, then it’s only suited skirts/dresses with jackets and always high heels. No open toes or sling-backs. Pumps. Pearls. Everyday calendars just demand too much walking, standing, moving about the courtroom or courtrooms on different floors; clients in and out of custody; chambers meetings, and more. No way I’m doing all that in skirts and heels. Trials are special and require dressing up. My relationships with judges and court personnel let my clients know I’m a serious contender in the courtroom. I don’t think they are too concerned about my wardrobe. The female DA’S in my county dress like strippers: short skirts, high heels, big hair. It’s hard to take them seriously. Reputation, preparation and determination outweigh expensive clothes any day. YMMV.
I see it all the time in the outstate courts. It’s almost exclusively female PD’s. Showing up to court in a ruffled floral skirt and sandals doesn’t inspire confidence in the clients.
And no, putting a blazer with that floral skirt does nothing to repair that damage. It just looks silly.
I do appellate defense, so I’m not in court all the time. I have no problem with your argument that PDs should look professional and polished, but I do take issue with the argument that that should include heels. Heels are painful, uncomfortable, and honestly not kind to our bodies. The idea that professionalism requires us as women to subject ourselves to hours each day of unhealthy pain and discomfort is ludicrous. I’m always disappointed to see other women proffer this idea. Now I’ll wear classy flats with the best of them – I like to splurge on designer imported Italian flats. But I’m not going to destroy my feet by squeezing them into painful, uncomfortable heels that force my body into unnatural positions.