How important is a professional appearance in law school? Forum

[crit_racer]

I would clean it up a little. Not saying you gotta go buy a brooks brothers wardrobe, but you don't want to stick out so so much. Especially since youre going to have to clean it up eventually for a job, whats the point of waiting a year? Just get it over with

Having said that i dressed pretty hipster-ish throughout LS and have a decent number of tattoos on my arms and didn't ahve any trobule fitting in or getting a job. Though I guess most ppl relate better w/ the hipster style than the heavy metal style.

[jchiles]

Seriously - nothing looks sillier than a kid wearing an ill-fitting jacket with a sloppy tie when its not even necessary.

I can't say for sure but I think if every guy I knew who wore suits for no reason in high school, college, and law school actually wore suits that were maintained well and fit properly, I'd have a much more positive attitude about seeing people wear suits in settings where they don't need them. It really just seems like the guys who did this thought putting on a suit somehow made you instantly classy or credible.

[kalvano]

I bet Brooks Brothers would custom-make a jacket with a Five Finger Death Punch label in it, or design in the lining. That would be awesome.

[ymmv]

Seriously - nothing looks sillier than a kid wearing an ill-fitting jacket with a sloppy tie when its not even necessary.

I can't say for sure but I think if every guy I knew who wore suits for no reason in high school, college, and law school actually wore suits that were maintained well and fit properly, I'd have a much more positive attitude about seeing people wear suits in settings where they don't need them. It really just seems like the guys who did this thought putting on a suit somehow made you instantly classy or credible.

I think we can give HIMYM at least 80% of the blame for this phenomenon over the past decade. Despite the fact that Barney's suits are more or less perfectly fitted.

[Tanicius]

Seriously - nothing looks sillier than a kid wearing an ill-fitting jacket with a sloppy tie when its not even necessary.

I can't say for sure but I think if every guy I knew who wore suits for no reason in high school, college, and law school actually wore suits that were maintained well and fit properly, I'd have a much more positive attitude about seeing people wear suits in settings where they don't need them. It really just seems like the guys who did this thought putting on a suit somehow made you instantly classy or credible.

I think about this differently. People who wear suits that fit them almost too well look ridiculous to me. They'll outgrow that suit in less than a month. Like Harvey Specter's suits, with that ridiculous double windsor knot that makes him look like he has a stick up his ass. Even worse with young people who look like that, like they're just trying way too hard. In general I think any suit that is flashy or too perfectly fit makes you look goofy, and whatever style it is will be out of style in a year. A slightly ill-fitting suit looks more natural to me.

It's a different culture between government and corporate worlds, I realize this. But I can't stop seeing those kinds of suits in a ridiculous light, same as how I view in-style New York or Paris haircuts, which everyone will be making fun of in a few years' time.

[ymmv]

Seriously - nothing looks sillier than a kid wearing an ill-fitting jacket with a sloppy tie when its not even necessary.

I can't say for sure but I think if every guy I knew who wore suits for no reason in high school, college, and law school actually wore suits that were maintained well and fit properly, I'd have a much more positive attitude about seeing people wear suits in settings where they don't need them. It really just seems like the guys who did this thought putting on a suit somehow made you instantly classy or credible.

I think about this differently. People who wear suits that fit them almost too well look ridiculous to me. They'll outgrow that suit in less than a month.

Excuse some of us for not accepting the inevitability of exponential obesity.
Since when do 1Ls gain weight anyway? I'm pretty sure my class lost a collective metric ton from the coffee-and-packaged-nuts diet come finals month.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Plenty of people stress eat, dude.

Not advocating for the ill-fitting suit, though. There's a difference between a flashy cut and fitting properly.

[Frothingslosh]

You don't need to clean up before you start, just before OCI which isn't till August before your 2L year. At school, the guy with the hair and the goat shirts will get less attention than the one who wears a button-down with tie and slacks to class every day.

Saw a 1L this past year wearing a complete, full suit (with a vest, even) every. single. day.






And I was actually quite jealous. He wore that suit damn well.

Really? That seems so ridiculous in a place like Berkeley.

Depends on your background. The people with pre-enrollment connections to investment banking and Silicon Valley tend to wear expensive stuff a lot. They tend to either take it the Playboy route or they may dress like Harvey Specter. I think my emotional hostility to the way they dress is mostly petty and born of jealousy for their means, but I guess if nearly everyone is thinking the same way I am, then the motives for our distaste don't matter much and you should consider dressing in a way not calculated to alienate everyone around you.

There's a 3L at my school that's worn a suit every single day for the past 2 years. No big-time background either. Philosophy undergrad, I think. He DOES where the hell out of those suits though.

[jchiles]

I think about this differently. People who wear suits that fit them almost too well look ridiculous to me. They'll outgrow that suit in less than a month. Like Harvey Specter's suits, with that ridiculous double windsor knot that makes him look like he has a stick up his ass. Even worse with young people who look like that, like they're just trying way too hard. In general I think any suit that is flashy or too perfectly fit makes you look goofy, and whatever style it is will be out of style in a year. A slightly ill-fitting suit looks more natural to me.

I agree completely, I think there is just a difference between a suit that fits comfortably and looks like it is the right size/shape and one that looks "fitted," which is what I think some fashion-forward guys and TV characters are going for. I know several guys that take something with any degree of looseness or give, even formalwear, as ill-fitting and will insist on getting it taken-in or buying something smaller and tighter, which is probably even more ridiculous than a boxy, oversized suit.

[bamfrosty]

Does this advice hold true for government and PI as well? Specifically public defenders. I've resigned myself to the inevitability of a haircut, but I would really rather not do it.

[eliminatorjr]

I bet Brooks Brothers would custom-make a jacket with a Five Finger Death Punch label in it, or design in the lining. That would be awesome.

Wouldn't you want something far more metal? I vote for Gorguts.

[Frothingslosh]

Does this advice hold true for government and PI as well? Specifically public defenders. I've resigned myself to the inevitability of a haircut, but I would really rather not do it.

Hair grows back. 1st impressions in this type of job-market don't come with a do-over. I'm kind of surprised people are actually stuck on this at all.

[beachbum]

If you show up with ass-level hair, a beard, and a Slayer t-shirt, your classmates are going to think you're an anti-social weirdo. Because, to put it bluntly, you just can't do that in a conservative/white collar field; people are going to draw a host of assumptions from your appearance, none of which are good for you. And this is going to shape your time in law school and could affect your career, at least in future interactions with classmates (as you'll be remembered as the weird kid).

It sucks, but law school is like high school. And, if you show up to class every day looking radically different from everyone else, that appearance is largely going to define you.

And, of course, definitely clean up before OCI.

[jbagelboy]

Seriously - nothing looks sillier than a kid wearing an ill-fitting jacket with a sloppy tie when its not even necessary.

I can't say for sure but I think if every guy I knew who wore suits for no reason in high school, college, and law school actually wore suits that were maintained well and fit properly, I'd have a much more positive attitude about seeing people wear suits in settings where they don't need them. It really just seems like the guys who did this thought putting on a suit somehow made you instantly classy or credible.

I think about this differently. People who wear suits that fit them almost too well look ridiculous to me. They'll outgrow that suit in less than a month. Like Harvey Specter's suits, with that ridiculous double windsor knot that makes him look like he has a stick up his ass. Even worse with young people who look like that, like they're just trying way too hard. In general I think any suit that is flashy or too perfectly fit makes you look goofy, and whatever style it is will be out of style in a year. A slightly ill-fitting suit looks more natural to me.

It's a different culture between government and corporate worlds, I realize this. But I can't stop seeing those kinds of suits in a ridiculous light, same as how I view in-style New York or Paris haircuts, which everyone will be making fun of in a few years' time.

Lol. Pangea fits comfortably within the range between Harvey Spectre and the law students I'm referring to. I'm not advising an uptight or overtly flashy look, just one that fits and doesn't make you look like your parents half-dressed you for your 7th grade viola recital. "Nice suit that fits with matching tie" =\= $12,000 Gucci 3-piece.

[ymmv]

Does this advice hold true for government and PI as well? Specifically public defenders. I've resigned myself to the inevitability of a haircut, but I would really rather not do it.

PDs need to look as put-together as possible to compensate for the slovenliness of the defendant standing beside them. Gotta maximize your own credibility when your client's is at net negative.

[DELG]

Why would anyone trying to get into a white collar professional field want to look like a rebellious teenager?

[Power_of_Facing]

I've been thinking a bit more about this, and in the OP's situation (assuming he or she isn't a haplessly warm gunner), dressing slightly nicer than the average Uggzter/Sweatpanting/Hoodiehipster/20-something law student might help him or her get away with having longer-than-average hair.

I'm not saying OP should go all out with a full dress suit every day, but it might be worthwhile for him or her to invest in some nice-ish sweaters, a few pairs of tailored dark pants, and shoes that aren't tennis. OP should also maybe consider losing the goats and toning down the skulls a bit. Try Nordstrom Rack for affordable options.

TLDR: Polishing up one's wardrobe might help ease concerns over longish hair/facial hair.

[Power_of_Facing]

Why would anyone trying to get into a white collar professional field want to look like a rebellious teenager?

Because looking a certain way can be important to one's identity, and looks have little bearing on one's ability to produce good work.

Looking professional should not mean conforming utterly to some backasswards notion of "white collar" competence. IMHO.

[Tanicius]

Does this advice hold true for government and PI as well? Specifically public defenders. I've resigned myself to the inevitability of a haircut, but I would really rather not do it.

Some of us look awful; others look really spiffy. My dad's an old-timer who runs it old school -- a conservative, okay-fitted suit with next to no flash, so he doesn't offend jurors (or spend money he doesn't have).

I think about this a lot. It's interesting, because as a public defender you're at this crossroads of two very different worlds. The client's always going to think you're "one of those guys," a member of the the higher class man who wants to keep them down. That hurts your relationship with the client. On the other hand, a lot of your clients aren't looking for a lawyer who's "of the people" -- they want the hotshot Jew lawyer with the purple shirt and gold watch and cufflinks, because TV and other jailhouse inmates have convinced them that that's what expresses a lawyer's success. So, I think extravagance can have its uses when you're in client interviews, provided you're not wearing anything that can be easily hawked (because believe me, some lots your clients would snatch that watch in a heartbeat when your back is turned). When you're in the courtroom though, I think looking like a hotshot guy with gelled hair and expensive suits can make a lot of jurors hate you.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I don't think any level of dressing nicely makes up for long hair on a guy, in the eyes of the legal profession. We're not talking fashionably brushing the collar (which you won't ever see in my office), we're talking hair down your back. People still debate whether that's professional for women, let alone men.

(This is all assuming you're going into court or meeting clients. If you never do those things, maybe it would be different.)

As for the PD question, I have seen lots and lots of slovenly defense attorneys, but they've invariably been practicing for decades. I think the concern is that you're going to have to appear before judges who might care about long hair.

[anyriotgirl]

Why would anyone trying to get into a white collar professional field want to look like a rebellious teenager?

maybe he is gunning for BIGMOTORCYLELAW

[Power_of_Facing]

Just look like these dudes and everything will be alright. Rockabye.

[NYSprague]

This reminds me of that kid who murdered a classmate from some southern law school, I think in Atlanta. That guy had weird hair and clothes too. But he wore chain mail to school so OP has a way to go before descending into total social weirdness.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I think it was Mercer? That guy did have gnarly hair (but a whole host of other problems).

[WheatThins]

I think about this differently. People who wear suits that fit them almost too well look ridiculous to me. They'll outgrow that suit in less than a month.

What? This is absurd. Are you really expanding so rapidly that you outgrow your clothes every month? I'd worry about exercising and being healthy more and other people's style less.