<p>Hi,
Just heading out for some interviews w/law placement recruiters & meetings w/attorneys (trying to find a good attny job!). It’s been 7 years since I practiced, though, and wondered if things have changed, attire-wise? </p>
<p>I used to say that I dressed like a nun – severe, dark suits, hair in a strict bun. I always wanted to dress more professionally than I even needed to. But, now it seems things are more casual.</p>
<p>Not sure if a professional pant-suit is okay? More decorative jewelry? I used to only wear pearls. Can a woman wear her hair down? Mine is very long, I used to keep it up at all times, but I don’t seem to care that much about looking so strict anymore (maybe that’s wrong?). </p>
<p>If anyone had any thoughts, I’d appreciate it. At my most recent interview w/a recruiter, I wore a mix-match suit, hair down & ended up joking around with him most of the time. Seemed to go okay…but not sure if it’s still important to be more conservative…?</p>
<p>Come on, CC fashionistas, let’s help Jolynne with her job quest!</p>
<p>Jolynne, I’m not a lawyer, and the lawyers I deal with are IP attorneys (the worst dressed kind among lawyers, I must say), so I’m not really qualify to give you advice. IMO, you should wear something conservative yet not too outdated. I think a stylish pantsuit should be OK (just avoid looking like Hillary!). Keep jewelery to a minimum; a strand of pearls or a gold necklace is OK, but no dangly earrings or anything large and/or flashy. Make sure that your shoes are not outdated, and give them a nice shine.
Can’t give any advice about long hair because mine is short. I usually try to get a haircut right before an interview or a conference.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking forward to responses to your question, since I, too, am a lawyer who has been out of the workforce for the same amount of time, and have recently considered going back. That being said, and having no current information, I will venture a guess that you can take your cue from the type of practice you’re seeking…public interest law will likely be more casual than a corporate big firm practice. On the other hand, the downtown L.A. business lit firm I was with hired me many years ago (during the time that women wore bows at the neck of their blouses) after I showed up to interview in a bright yellow Christian Dior suit that was better suited for an afternoon tea than a courtroom. I did accessorize with pearls, a nod to traditional attire, though my long, highlighted hair was worn down. I later learned that one of the reasons I got the callback interview that led to the job offer was because of my yellow suit. Best of luck in your search…for answers to your question, and for a job.</p>
<p>Do remember that though fashion may say otherwise, pantyhose are still the safe option. If you want to be stylish, wear opaque dark hose (<em>never</em> white!) And closed-toe shoes. Toe-cleavage is still up to the individual but for conservative offices, I’d err on the side of none. I live near D.C. where conservative clothing is still the choice…I’ve seen more colorful clothes in NYC than here!</p>
<p>Thanks for those thoughts!! Appreciate it! Another poster w/experience in the field of hiring lawyers pm’d me and said that yes, pantsuits are okay, hair down is okay and you don’t have to wear the ‘dark suit, neutral hose, pearls’ of yore. Good to hear, since I’m not feeling like getting back into my nun habit, for some reason, these days…</p>
<p>Novelisto–hmm, I got pair of winter dress pumps w/a tiny bit of open toe (wasn’t going to wear them to interview, but thinking it might work for daily work attire). Sort of thinking Sarah Palin (purely in the stylish sense) but maybe not…? BunsenBurner–I had the same thought re: shoes–somehow feeling they should not be cheapie nor out of it. Fred’s Mom–fun yellow suit story! It showed confidence, I bet!</p>
<p>I work at a bank. I have always rebelled against the traditional kind of dressing for women. I believe fabric is the most important thing when it comes to suits. Max Mara is my favorite. They are pricey, but not as bad as the most high end. Their jackets and pants are very conservative, but they have a twist, and of course they hang beautifully. To go lower end, but can look nice if you know which suit to get, is Tahari(L&T are having great sales now). Look for suits with a bit of “hand stitching”, even if it’s fake. I prefer pant suits now because I don’t like dealing with panty hose.</p>
<p>I would get dark color pants (black, brown, grey), then top it with more fashionable jacket or blouse, cashemere sweater. I have worn bright yellow leather jacket with wool pants. I would have a few black suits, but add other colors that look good on you. Jewelry - either wear real ones (diamond studs, pearls…) or wear obviously fake (very large fake southsea pearls, or long gold chains with color stones). As a professional woman, I do not wear a lot of jewelry to work, at most diamond studs, good watch and a pendant. You could use scarves to give your outfit more color.</p>
<p>Shoes and handbag - I would invest in a few good quality shoes, and one expensive handbag. You are in NJ, they will be noticed. Long hair at our age (I assume you are middle age like the rest of us) is not appropriate in my opinion. I would have it up or consider cutting it short (short hair would also make you look younger, and you are competing with younger people for jobs).</p>
<p>I a believable your clothes speak a lot about you, it needs to be you, and you are conveying something about yourself to people by what you wear. This is just my view. Maybe more people will chime in.</p>
<p>You should dress for a job interview with a law firm the same way you would dress if you were going to court to appear before a judge or jury to argue your client’s case. Yes, it is that simple.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks oldfort! That’s good advice. One question–how do you know what a ‘good’ watch is? Finances are tight right now (hence – me returning to work!) so I always figured that if something is plain & functional, it would work. Hate to confess–I picked up a beautiful Liz Claibourn bag at a consignment store. Is that ‘good’ enough? All my friends have Coach, etc., as an attny, I just can’t see hauling in some big thing w/“C” plastered all over it plus if I can’t afford gymnastics classes for my kid, I can’t bring myself to pay even $150 for bag (maybe that’s a mistake?). If it’s more subtle, can I get away w/a no-‘big name’-brand purse? I do appreciate the heads up that something like that would be noticed.</p>
<p>Interesting re: the hair. Have to say I just can’t give it up! Mine looks very similar to Ann Coulter’s (I’ve been told we look alike…for better or worse…) so hope that I can still swing it. Maybe the long blonde thing is too flashy? But, Ann C is on TV as an attny (not that she’s a role model in any other sense!) & she does it (rationalizing here).</p>
<p>Edit: thanks, razorsharp. Maybe I will rethink everything now. Have a few hours…!</p>
<p>Even in my casual office (NOT a law firm) where we dress like a lot of bums, we expect job applicants to dress well. Suits for men and conservative dress or suit for women. It indicates that they want the job.</p>
<p>Can’t stand Ann Coulter, but she is pretty and tall, you are lucky if you look like her. I am very jealous. I am short (but petite) with short black hair, complete opposite.</p>
<p>What about putting your hair up loosely, not as severe as a bun, just away from your face. I think you would look great in a grey suit, with light pink sweater or blouse (conservative, but feminine). You could even wear hoop earrings with that.</p>
<p>Plain and functional watch is fine - have one with a simple leather band, if you have Anne C’s figure, you could afford a watch with a bigger face, don’t have a cheap gold watch (sorry, I am just very blunt). Understated Liz C purse is fine. If you are anywhere around Loehman, check out their Italian leather purse section. They are marking them way down now. No, I wouldn’t carry big C purse around either. My sister used to get 30% corporate discount through her law firm before, and she couldn’t even get my kids to carry them until they came out with ones without Cs on it.</p>
<p>No need to get everything all at once. Get a few good pieces, then build on those good pieces over time. I find it is cheaper over time to have good quality clothes (especially profession clothes), than to buy the latest fashion for one season. I</p>
<p>You don’t have to wear a bun, but a sleek ponytail or pinning back the hair around your face is a safe, conservative option.</p>
<p>For a law firm, pantsuits are fine but they need to be suits; i.e., top and bottom must be the same fabric. It’s not enough that they are meant to go together, they have to match.</p>
<p>I interviewed in pants/blazers or pantsuits with nice button front shirts. I wasn’t interviewing at law firms but rather at corporations who were business casual. I think a skirt and jacket or pants/jacket is fine. I wouldn’t worry about peep-toes. It’s fine. The line has blurred a lot.</p>
<p>I am surprised by “has to be suits.” I am not seeing it in NYC, even with the most conservative private bankers. But maybe law firms are different.</p>
<p>Wow, this is great info! Thanks so much! oldfort–I’m not as tall as Ann C, but we look similar, otherwise (I guess, I’ve been told). One of my favorite suits is a soft grey–you have a good color analysis. I was going to wear that with some black, wide-leg pants with a very fine grey pinestripe. (okay–confession–I got these pants at consignment a few days ago–they fit perfectly, though). </p>
<p>Now after reading everything, maybe I’ll switch the whole thing out & do a black pants suit. It’s 13 degrees here, before the wind chill. </p>
<p>The other thing—interview this afternoon is w/a legal recruiter. I think I’d definitely be erring on the side of dark suit-ish-ness if it were a direct interview w/a firm. For instance, on the website of one firm that responded, all the attorneys (including female) had dark suits & white shirts (although the one, youngish female attorney had her blond hair down!). I could be taking the recruiter thing a bit too casually though. I think I’m over-qualified for most of their temp jobs, but I guess that’s no reason to violate the conservative dress rule!!!</p>
<p>Btw, we do have a Loeman’s minutes from us–not that I can afford even a mark-down, Italian purse, but I’ll definitely check it out!</p>
<p>I’ll preface by saying that my experience as a headhunter is with large law firms, mostly in DC. Most of these firms have business casual as the norm now. They may keep a suit in the office in case they have to go to court, but very few of them ever set foot inside a courtroom. When an attorney from one firm interviews with another, wearing a suit to work that day, when no court appearance is scheduled, screams “I’m interviewing with another firm today folks.” So that attorney can either sneak out and change clothes - and for years we had people do this - or they can dress the way they dress every day, which is also the way the other firm is dressing. For the past several years, firms have advised me to advise my candidates that dressing differently for an interview is not necessary. Some still choose to do it, and they will likely be better dressed than the partners with whom they are interviewing. I think pants or slacks are certainly fine for meeting a recruiter. Hopefully, the recruiter, who should know the culture of the firm can advise if some other attire is appropriate. Some smaller firms are more stodgy now than the “biglaw” firms so the recruiter may advise wearing a suit. Second guessing fashion is risky - my normal advice is to never wear perfume or heavily scented lotions to an interview and tone down the makeup and jewelry.</p>
<p>Hi! I’d suggest you go to court in the city/town where you plan to practice & see what folks are wearing there. Around HI, we still wear mostly suits for women–skirts or dresses WAY more than slacks. Personally, I like wearing a lighter grey suit (I look washed out in black and dark navy). Admittedly there is some strange bias in HI & elsewhere that some folks (particularly traditionalists) have against women wearing slacks, so I never interview or go to major events wearing slacks. Most here wear “flesh colored” hose rather than anything else.</p>
<p>When I want to look professional but a bit more casual, I wear a dress with a coordinating blazer. For interviews, I stick with matching suits and low heeled pumps with minimal jewelry.</p>
<p>Women’s long hair down is fine around here, as long as it looks neat and professional. I don’t see too many folks here putting it up in a severe bun, but whatever is most comfortable for you should be fine. Like others, I cut my hair shortly after graduating from law school & have found it much easier to deal with while it’s short. I also try to get it trimmed/shaped before making important appearances.</p>
<p>Thanks cartera45 & HImom! Running off to get ready…thanks for the thoughts! Btw, I don’t wear perfume or even jewelry, normally (except for eng/wed rings). So, hopefully have that covered, at the very least!! </p>
<p>If they want skirt suits, maybe they’ll give me the ‘it’s 6 degrees with wind chill’ pass! </p>
Fred’s Mom–fun yellow suit story! It showed confidence, I bet!</p>