Court Fashion

I was reading another blog and they were discussing Court fashion and so I am inspired to tell you my observations on this:

MadDog always said, "The amount of skin you show is inversely proportionate to your social standing." Wild for him is the tie with palm trees or the summer seersucker. He wore 3 piece suits to work each and every day until it became too difficult to find them. In the winter when it was really cold, he wore long underwear with his three piece suits. He comes by it honestly, though, as his father wore three piece suits even when fishing.

I wear suits pretty much every day whether or not I'm going to Court except Fridays, when I wear pants and a sweater set, unless I am going to Court. Suits are easy and give you an air of competency, which shouldn't be discounted. To Court men should wear suits, but can get away with jacket and tie especially in District Court or a motions docket. Footwear has really relaxed lately- Birks have become the rage as have those Cole Hahn/nike loafer things and Merrills.

Women can get away with a lot more than men-- apparently the rule is as long as its a skirt you can wear it to Court-- I saw one lawyer show up in this awful faded knit mumu thing that I would wear as maybe a nightgown but never as a dress. I am not much of a skirt person unless I'm working a jury or a particularly difficult Judge or some sexcrazed opposing council. (hey, if I can distract them and win, ehhh.... not such a problem for me, after all, they always try to bully me.) I have blazed the tennis shoe with suit trail here. I have found that if you wear a very nice suit and very nice tennis shoes you can get away with it. My knee surgery cemented this-- my leg really aches when I don't have good soles to cushion me. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.

In law school you have to do Moot Court. I wore a very nice gray silk suit with wide pants and a same fabric jacket and ironed shirt with pearls and dress shoes. The only comment I received was that "Don't you think a skirt would have been more appropriate?" To which I replied, No. I then turned to my friend and said what I wish I had said to the panel: "When I'm a lawyer the length of my skirt will be directly proportionate to the strength of my argument."

Our Judges don't seem to really be bothered one way or another by the slips in dress. Of course, it does depend on who you are--

Good story:

When MadDog was a young lawyer he was in Court with a Judge that used to give him and every other lawyer a very hard time. A lawyer from out of town showed up late and not dressed in a suit. Went he case was called the Judge asked him why he was up there. He told him he was the lawyer. The judge replied, "You may be a lawyer sir, but you are dressed like a defendant."