<p>Do law schools require that their students dress in suit and tie for class? Or is one able to just go in jeans etc.</p>
<p>Never heard of a school that requires a suit and tie; however, you will need such items for interviewing, Moot Court, in-class oral arguments, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with ariesathena. Students at law school dress, for the most part, like any other students, though I had a number of professors who would make students take off their ball caps in class (hat head!). </p>
<p>You will need a suit for all of the instances ariesathena suggested, though I would add meetings of professional associations (students are often invited to attend meetings of Inns of Court, ABA committees, ALI conferences, etc.), various conferences and colloquia to that list. There are also times, like welcome or retirement parties for a professor, alumni events or others when you will need either a suit or sometimes a jacket and tie (for a man) or maybe a sweater set and skirt (for a woman). </p>
<p>You need to have the wardrobe to dress professionally when needed.</p>
<p>Here in Northern California, the number of occasions for which I wear a tie seems to decline every year. Still, no male attorney I have ever known would consider appearing in court (or a quasi-court appearance such as a deposition, mediation or arbitration) without one. I have never conducted a job interview where a male candidate failed to wear a tie.</p>
<p>When I first started practicing law, women attorneys generally wore suits to court appearances, with feminized ties (kind of like large bowties with two ends hanging down). These female ties faded into fashion history, as have women’s suits, largely (at least in this part of the country). I still see a fair number of women wearing jacket-skirt combinations at the sort of occasions where men wear jackets and ties, and perhaps an equal number of dresses.</p>
<p>Even though it is true that many law firms and other situations in which attorneys practice are now “business casual” environments, you will need a suit or two in law school for all of the reasons enumerated above. Most of the very big law firms in big cities still require suit to be worn to work, though many of the men, at least, seem to drop their coats as soon as they get into the office and walk around in just shirts and ties all day.</p>
<p>I’ve seen law firms where people where flip-flops; however, when meeting with a client or in court, they have the suit & tie.</p>
<p>I would like to add that, if you are in the South, you’ll need suits (ladies will need nice dresses) for various formal events in law school.</p>
<p>People at my law school dress basically like people did in college: jeans/khakis/occasional sweatpants or skirts. Some people wear button-down shirts but most don’t. I’ve almost never seen anyone in heels. I’ve heard that people at law schools in urban areas, especially on the east coast, get more dressed up though. </p>
<p>I agree you’ll need a business suit, and a business casual outfit or 2 your 1L year, plus something you could wear to a dinner party (a lot of the student orgs throw annual receptions). For summer jobs, you’ll need a business/business casual wardrobe–luckily the places that require fancier clothes tend to pay generously enough that you can afford them!</p>
<p>Great Responses! Thanks very much.</p>
<p>On a related note, was the Ultimate Preppy Handbook’s advice to always either over-dress or under-dress only tongue-in-cheek?</p>
<p>Being an aspiring law school student, and living literally next door to Penn law school, I’ve looked at, perhaps even “sized up”, the law students I see everyday. They’re dressed just like my undergraduate peers, except a few years older. They also chitchat and hang around just like undergraduates would. But I hear Penn Law is quite casual.</p>