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Rising 2L with a Big Law job lined up for next summer at a V5 (transactional). Do I need to own a suit? I’m a woman and have years of work experience, but I was never required to dress more formally than business casual at work.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:31 am

Rising 2L with a Big Law job lined up for next summer at a V5 (transactional). Do I need to own a suit? I’m a woman and have years of work experience, but I was never required to dress more formally than business casual at work.

you should yeah

Yes! You probably won't need to wear a suit more than a handful of times throughout the summer, but you really need to have one. Nothing more embarrassing than having to turn down a last-minute invitation to go to a hearing or something because you don't have appropriate attire handy. If it's going to be virtual, you should have a suit that you can throw on as needed if you get invited to something in front of a court or a client. If it's going to be in-person, you should probably have two suits - partially in case one is being cleaned, and partially so you can keep one in your office in case you get a sudden invitation to do something that needs a suit.

Edited to add - if money's a concern, your best bet is to sign up to Ann Taylor's email list and wait. They're acceptable basic suits and frequently have large sales on suiting where you'll be able to get a full suit (jacket, skirt, pants) for $150 or under. You should check what your school has available - lots of schools offer financial assistance to students who need help acquiring professional wear, and there's absolutely no shame in taking advantage of that.