How much of a discount would you require for legal services from attorneys wearing bluejeans?

[Boojatta]

Suppose that someone creates a law firm that offers jobs to people who have appropriate credentials, but who will be permitted to wear casual clothing in the office.

When appearing in court, of course, an attorney would have to satisfy court requirements for clothing, but most attorneys don't spend the majority of their time in court.

Given that the kind of clothing is normally non-negotiable, other things being equal, one would expect the firm to have an advantage over other firms in hiring people.

Pardon the repetition, but (title of the thread): as a potential consumer of legal services, what size discount would you require for legal services from attorneys wearing bluejeans?

[tangent90]

1. Is that a trick question?

I might consider paying more for a lawyer in blue jeans.
:shrug:

[Boojatta]

3. If lots of people would be willing to pay more...

then economic theory suggests that such a law firm would have a significant competitive advantage over other law firms.

[tangent90]

36. Well, THIS guy will get a big tip from me

[WolverineDG]

2. None

If you want an attorney in a suit, pay for an attorney who can afford to wear a suit everyday.

dg

[leftstreet]

4. I require a 90% discount if they're in speedos

I don't get this post

:shrug:

[lisa58]

7. ewwwww - lol!

[Boojatta]

11. Dishwashers in a company cafeteria don't normally wear speedos at work.

However, most attorneys who are employees (as opposed to self-employed) cannot dress like dishwashers.

[leftstreet]

16. If this is a Class War thread, are some of us being reassigned?

Dammit man!

I just finished a tour in the Cheese Sandwich theater.

STOP-LOSS! STOP-LOSS!

[MrPerson]

12. If I wore speedos I'd starve.

[MrPerson]

17. I was told there would be no math.

[merh]

5. None

I don't hire any professional because of their attire. I hire them because of their skills.


eta - having worked in the legal field for better than 25 years, often the smartest, most proficient lawyers I know and recall are the ones that dress the less appropriate - they focus on the law and not how they look.

the ones that look good, don't have that much skill so looks matter. ;)

[MrPerson]

10. I wear a suit out of respect for my client's hopes and fears

[merh]

22. A suit doesn't mean shit

hopes and fears? You suit isn't going to do a damn thing to defend your clients, if they think it does then truly do need help, but not the help your suit offers.

It is your words and your experience that helps your clients, what you say, how you treat them and how well you listen and explain. Hiding behind a suit is rather sad.

I see an expensive suit and I wonder if I will get the proper representation, if the lawyers is more concerned with how they look as opposed to the issues.

Here is a quickie test - without looking, tell me whether or not SCOTUS has rendered any key cases in the last week.

[MrPerson]

24. I'm a bankruptcy lawyer. My clients come in scared.

And all I care about are bankruptcy decisions.

There were none.

And yes I've asked several over the 25 years I've been practicing.

They mostly preferred their lawyers to wear suits.

[merh]

31. I see bankruptcy lawyers wearing fancy suits and I see the fellows

making money off of the misery of others.

I'm jaded that way - I've known too many empty suits.

[MrPerson]

35. Only if you represent a creditor.

The court approves our fees. And they go over them closely.

[merh]

38. then the suit doesn't matter

does it

[MrPerson]

39. The suit is to not help or hurt. Do no harm.

[merh]

42. The same can be said about being in slacks and shirt.

[MrPerson]

47. Fine. But with a nice tie.

[merh]

48. Not necessary

But t-shirts are not a good idea and t-shirts with slogans should be avoided.

[MrPerson]

49. You are so not my mother.

[merh]

55. lol

I live in an area where just about everyone lost all they had in terms of clothing and belongings. Many lost their offices, all their files, all that they had that proved they were lawyers.

Once they were in a place where they could open "their doors" or be set up so clients could visit, it didn't matter what they wore, it mattered that they open and that they were trying to help their clients despite all they were suffering, despite all they had lost. It took a very long time for many to be able to replace their belongings, most everyone wore jeans and nice shirts to work. Fashion and wardrobes took the back seat to a place to live and rebuilding. The place is more relaxed, a more casual place - suits to court - but outside of the courtroom, as long as you are clean and care enough to listen - that is what matters.

[reg373]

33. suit

It looks better in court...
I want an attorney in a suit, if I am the defendant! :)

[merh]

40. check the OP

"When appearing in court, of course, an attorney would have to satisfy court requirements for clothing, but most attorneys don't spend the majority of their time in court."

Suits in court are required by most courts, they are expected - are a given.

The query, as I understand it, was about suits outside of court.

[JerseygirlCT]

54. My Dad said the same

(he was a banker).

I understand that, though I think we're generally in a more casual age now. (Dad would go off to work in a suit and a hat, of course!)

[lisa58]

6. None - it's how good they are, not what they wear.

[MrPerson]

8. It depends on the client. Clients usually want attorneys

to wear suits and dress conservatively.

[Captain Hilts]

9. To me, it depends on the shirt and shoes. They'd better be in a jacket and not running shoes.

Otherwise, in their office, I don't care.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

21. OK, point taken.

The presence of leather-soled shoes (especially if Italian in origin) might offset jeans in some circumstances.

[Captain Hilts]

23. Just no runners. They have a tendency to stink. I had a foot injury and had to wear them...

and I always apologized for them when in a venue other than my home turf.

Running and athletic shoes are easily washed in the washing machine, but practically no one does. You just don't put them in the dryer, that's the key. But they're made to get wet!

[Canuckistanian]

13. 15% is my standard rate for jeans

But I'd be willing to cut some slack for Gabardine or Chinos.

But for Corduroy I up it to 20%.

[MrPerson]

14. Clients don't care about your feelings. They pay you to do a job

for them the best way that you can.

I try to put myself in their place.

[MrSlayer]

15. I wouldn't expect any discount.

All I care about with a lawyer is the ability to win cases. I couldn't care less what they wore while doing it. Wearing a suit doesn't make you any better at your job.

[Raine]

18. If a lawyer doesn't make enough to

afford a suit to do business in I would have doubts as to if he is that great of a lawyer. I also wouldn't want a financial advisor who isn't successful enough to own his own home ... something I learned from hard personal experience. There is a fine line, you don't want someone like Maddoff (sp?) but you do expect them to have some success on their own if they're going to advise you.

Edit: changed spelling

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

19. Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole unless the guy's name was Hallinan or Dershowitz.

Put on a fucking suit. Or at least dress slacks and a button down shirt.

[Incitatus]

20. As long he has a good record for winning cases, I wouldn't give a shit. nt

[MrPerson]

26. Winning is not important. Doing a good job is.

The law may not be on your side.

[Incitatus]

29. a suit doesn't do the job

A person does. I couldn't care less what they are wearing as long as they are good at what they do. Any idiot can wear a suit.

[MrPerson]

32. I have a black one and a navy one. Very nondescript.

Kind of blends in.

[Occam Bandage]

25. I pay a 10% premium for blue jeans, actually. nt

[reg373]

27. depends...

On the attorney's track record... :)

[Ghost in the Machine]

28. None whatsoever... when I first met my worker's comp lawyer...

he rolled up in a convertible T-Bird, was wearing Dockers and a Polo shirt, unbuttoned to show his gold chains..

his name??
















My worker's comp lawyer was, at that time, also known as "Tn State Senator Jeff Miller"...

He did a damned good job for me, I have no complaints at all...



Peace,

Ghost

[hunter]

30. I want a lawyer who smacks the bad guys down before they go to court.

If putting on a suit intimidates the bad guy's lawyer and makes him fold, more power to her. She can even wear stiletto heels and vampire lipstick if she thinks that's what it takes -- even though stiletto heels always look uncomfortable and sort of silly to me.

I've met a few lawyers who can blow away their opposition before breakfast from their home office, wearing comfortable pajamas and fuzzy slippers.

[davsand]

34. One of the brightest legal minds I know wears sandals and jeans.

He is also one of the MOST irreverent souls you will ever meet-but that is for a different discussion...

I used to recruit lawyers for pro bono service and I'll tell you directly that not every lawyer is a shark in a suit.

I also learned a LONG time ago that the lawyer you want is gonna be a pit bull--because THAT is what you are paying him (her) to be. His/her wardrobe or the size of their office means jack when it is all said and done. I met an awful lot of lawyers that look mighty fine that are not worth the space they occupy.

YMMV.


Laura

[tanngrisnir3]

37. Gerry Spence wears jeans. He hasn't done so badly.

[MrPerson]

41. I REFUSE TO WEAR SUEDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LanternWaste]

43. About the same as I would require from a surgeon who...

About the same as I would require from a surgeon who never scrubs up-- all other things being equal, they'd have to pay me to use their services.

[Boojatta]

44. How about a psychiatrist who doesn't smoke a pipe?

[LanternWaste]

45. Depends what;s in the pipe...

Depends what's in the pipe... :evilgrin:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

46. How hot is she and how tight are the jeans? She might get a bonus.

[Ferret Annica]

50. I don't mind a more liberal dress code in court.

(Movie; 'My Cousin Vinnie')

[flvegan]

51. Jeans in the office? No discount.

Jeans don't suggest anything about level of skill or ability to represent someone in their best interest.

[MineralMan]

52. Well, unless the attorney keeps his brains in his jeans,

I wouldn't be concerned at all.

[JerseygirlCT]

53. None

I don't care if they're dressed comfortably (so long as clean and presentable, of course) if they're competent attys.

[muntrv]

56. I believe William Keunsler was "dressed down."

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

57. I worked in a firm like that...

it's perhaps the best known and most respected immigration firm in NYC catering exclusively to celebrities, artists, entertainers, fashion people etc. The boss, who is friends with well-known people, always wore jeans and a t-shirt. It was a casual environment and everyone wore what they wanted. Yet, the business did not suffer, as it kept on attracting quite an exclusive roster of clients.

I have also worked in very stuffy old-fasioned law firms where women must wear skirts and pantyhose. I found that there is a correlation between dress code and general assholishness. The tighter the dress code, the more assholes in the office.

But what's the point of the OP and this post and, more importantly, why am I wasting time to respond????

[H2O Man]

58. I demand

two neck ties. If one is professional, then two creates a significant advantage.

[Igel]

59. Don't care.

I have no sense of aesthetics, zip. As long as they're dressed to be decent and don't smell, I don't much care.

Recently saw a presentation on professionalism in the (public school) classroom. Apparently if I wear jeans I can't possibly be professional and do a good job; I must dress smartly. Of course, the two best teachers I had in high school ran afoul of this. One wore a button shirt, jeans (and, in good weather, sandals), the other wore slacks and a button-down shirt but the clothes were the cheapest and oldest you could imagine.

There seemed to be an age break: Those over 35 or so seemed to insist on "proper" dress, those under 35 were split between trendy/fashionable and not giving a damn. (I'm over 35, but have long been a jean-and-t-shirt wearer whenever possible.)

[Boojatta]

60. Kick

[librechik]

61. have you ever been to Colorado or California? Blue jeans are not just acceptable

they are mandatory. Nobody cares. Places that drop the formality soon find that out. Life is good, relax!

[havocmom]

62. If I could afford Gerry Spence and he wanted to wear his jeans and boots

I'd be just fine with it.

Hire a lawyer for the mind, not the wardrobe.