Ethics

The NYT has a story about lawyer fashion faux pas and the possible effect on a client's ability to obtain justice (here).  I have recently blogged about the Law Society of Alberta's requirement that students taking the bar admission course wear "business attire" at the risk of having a note placed in their law society file (something with potential consequences in later disciplinary matters) (here).  What's up with this?   I do think one would be foolish not to recognize that clothes may have an impact on different things - on a client's comfort level, on how authoritative one appears to a judge etc. etc.  And I don't have an issue with judges pointing that out.  But surely, surely, surely part of the excellence to which lawyers strive is not to judge people by appearances, to not feel a need to do something because it is viewed as conventionally good or desirable.  I am reminded of the discussion of democratic lawyering a few posts ago.  The best tradition of the bar in most countries includes pushing against authority in some way or another.  If that means wearing clothes that don't fit with mainstream conventions then good.  And let's not stifle that by directing people on clothes, and pushing lawyers towards conventionality.

Oh, and as I said to the local Cdn. newspaper that interviewed me about this, my own sartorial aims are "no visible dirt".