This article is for those who are visiting a law office for the first time. Maybe you’ve gotten your first real job out of college, or maybe you’re switching careers. You might feel under pressure to “keep up” with the other women in the office, depending on the size of your company and the city in which you work. There are few accessories you can use to express some individual style, but mostly your goal here is to look dependable, well-tailored, and neat. Keep in mind that the legal field is extremely traditional and not too accepting of modern trends or even self-expression through attire. Here is what you need to get started:
One suit in a neutral hue (black is the most popular option, but gray, navy, and brown tones will also look good) is among the following tailored pieces: Three non-iron long-sleeve button-front shirts in your choice of white and two additional colors One trench coat in any color. This is frequently where many women select their signature-color statement piece for their wardrobe. One crew-necked or V-necked black sleek t-shirt This is an essential layering piece. Shoes for the Law Office:
1. Black pumps. Brown or neutral color pumps. Ballet flat in color of your choice.
Open-toed shoes are still strictly prohibited by many workplace dress codes. You should never even consider wearing anything other than a pair of closed-toe shoes to a court proceeding. During those ten-hour days, the ballet flat will keep you pacing around the office.
How to Handle Casual Friday and Wild Card Items: When working in the legal field, you never want to appear too casual or like you threw your clothes together. One never knows when their boss will summon them to a last-minute client meeting where they will be required to give a presentation. Unless it is a holiday week, many female attorneys will never dress down on Friday. At most, they might wear a tailored khaki pant. Your company’s culture will determine what is appropriate, but the best piece of advice is to always overdress. If you wear jewelry, limit it to one accent piece and stay away from anything garish or distracting. Suggested wild card items include: .
Interesting silky blouse covered by a jewel-toned cardigan. Structured handbag and scarves. You can accessorize and add a little personality to your wardrobe in this area without coming off as inappropriate. One light sweater in any color of your choice. It is typically best to spend more on shoes and a tailored suit when making financial decisions. Anything trendy, including layering pieces, can be purchased for dirt cheap prices, and no one will be able to tell the difference. Concentrate on building the bones of your wardrobe around neutrals. Once this is finished, it will be much simpler to add color and your favorite seasonal trends. Your appearance will be timeless and classic—ideal for the legal profession!
Dress Code for the Paralegal
What to wear to work as a paralegal
Here are some recommendations for choosing your paralegal attire. It’s crucial to keep in mind that the recommendations and requirements specific to your office should take precedence over the advice presented here.
There are two prevalent dress codes at law firms: business casual and business formal. The accepted standards and appropriate clothing are listed below for each:
Is the paralegal dress code the same every day?
Some workplaces have daily-varying dress codes. For instance, if you don’t have any client meetings that day, you might be able to get away with business casual attire rather than business formal. Additionally, some law firms establish a casual day, allowing everyone to don more relaxed attire on that day of the week or month.
Business casual
The most widely used attire in all workplaces is business casual. It is more formal than most people’s everyday attire, but it still gives you some room to be yourself. You may also hear “smart casual” or “executive casual” used to describe business attire. “.
Common clothing items considered acceptable for business casual include:
Regardless of the law firm’s dress code, I firmly believe that you should wear a suit to a paralegal interview. A suit conveys professionalism and shows that you are dedicated to your career and pay close attention to detail. Others may disagree, but I would rather err on the side of caution and dress too formally than not formally enough. First impressions do matter.
I’ve observed a lot of men and women enter and leave law firms, and the ones who blended in with the staff the best were those who were conscious of both the social environment and the dress code. They simply adapted their wardrobe to the required office attire rather than overdressing or underdressing.
Men have it pretty easy because they can just put on a suit and blend in. There is a wider selection for women, including tailored pant and skirt suits and more laid-back dress slacks and blouses. You should balance your wardrobe choices based on both the specific office dress code and common gender stereotypes for business attire.
I hate to tell you that you should dress to fit in, but there are some situations, especially when you’re new, where you may need to do that to some extent. We still live in a society where people judge us based on our appearance even though we should only be evaluated based on how well we perform our jobs.
I wish I knew the solutions, but the legal counsel is ultimately what matters. Each law firm will have its own dress code. Ask HR for a copy of the dress code when you are hired. If there isnât a written dress code, ask questions. When you go for your interview, take note of how the staff is dressed. For the first few days, until you become familiar with the dress code, dress professionally and conservatively.
Open-toed shoes are still strictly prohibited by many workplace dress codes. You should never even consider wearing anything other than a pair of closed-toe shoes to a court proceeding. During those ten-hour days, the ballet flat will keep you pacing around the office.
How to Handle Casual Friday and Wild Card Items: When working in the legal field, you never want to appear too casual or like you threw your clothes together. One never knows when their boss will summon them to a last-minute client meeting where they will be required to give a presentation. Unless it is a holiday week, many female attorneys will never dress down on Friday. At most, they might wear a tailored khaki pant. Your company’s culture will determine what is appropriate, but the best piece of advice is to always overdress. If you wear jewelry, limit it to one accent piece and stay away from anything garish or distracting. Suggested wild card items include: .
1. Black pumps. Brown or neutral color pumps. Ballet flat in color of your choice.
Interesting silky blouse covered by a jewel-toned cardigan. Structured handbag and scarves. You can accessorize and add a little personality to your wardrobe in this area without coming off as inappropriate. One light sweater in any color of your choice. It is typically best to spend more on shoes and a tailored suit when making financial decisions. Anything trendy, including layering pieces, can be purchased for dirt cheap prices, and no one will be able to tell the difference. Concentrate on building the bones of your wardrobe around neutrals. Once this is finished, it will be much simpler to add color and your favorite seasonal trends. Your appearance will be timeless and classic—ideal for the legal profession!
One suit in a neutral hue (black is the most popular option, but gray, navy, and brown tones will also look good) is among the following tailored pieces: Three non-iron long-sleeve button-front shirts in your choice of white and two additional colors One trench coat in any color. This is frequently where many women select their signature-color statement piece for their wardrobe. One crew-necked or V-necked black sleek t-shirt This is an essential layering piece. Shoes for the Law Office:
No Pants Policy for Women
Some law firms’ “unwritten” dress codes prohibited female paralegals from donning pants. Only skirts or dresses. Additionally, you had to wear pantyhose with that skirt or dress.
That used to be a dress code in some law firms, yes, yes, yes. I’m going to take you back to the early 1990s. Well, that’s when my career began, but the company maintained that policy until perhaps 1996 or 1997. Thus, it is not as if I am discussing something that occurred fifty years ago.
A paralegal with 30 or 40 years of experience in the field will be able to tell you this. If you didn’t wear pantyhose, you might run into trouble even if their company didn’t explicitly forbid women from wearing pants.
I don’t even want to think about the dress patrol coming around to make sure you weren’t wearing pantyhose.
FAQ
What should you wear as a paralegal?
- Short- or long-sleeved collared shirts.
- Dress slacks.
- Pressed khakis.
- Skirts no shorter than four inches above the knee.
- Sweaters and blouses in simple patterns or colors.
- Dresses in a neutral color.
- Jackets or sports coats.
- Neutral-colored ties.
What should a female wear to a paralegal interview?
The key is to dress professionally while still being comfortable. This will convey that you are a serious paralegal who is interested in the position you are interviewing for.
What are four things that a paralegal Cannot do?
Paralegals typically aren’t allowed to take depositions, represent clients in court, or sign court documents. However, some state and federal administrative agencies do permit non-lawyer practice. See, for example, Social Security Administration.
What do paralegal men wear?
The nature of the work requires that every male paralegal have access to at least one sharp suit. In the office or when dealing with clients, you can get away with wearing a jacket and some chinos or separate dress pants, but if you have to appear in court, you’ll want to wear a nice, classic suit.
