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Practicing How to Dress and Present Yourself for a Formal Professional Life

published November 12, 2012

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left
Published By
( 19 votes, average: 3.9 out of 5)
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How to dress and present yourself for a formal professional life
The way you dress conveys competence and your awareness of social protocols of the legal profession. However, even though almost all law students know well that dress is important, many fail to bridge the psychological gap between informal dress trends used in college campuses and the formal, almost stifling dress code, expected in professional circles.

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Lack of comfort with formal attire can subtly influence levels of ease felt during an interview or professional interaction where formal dress is a must, and can affect positive outcomes. Fact is, dress influences career, and it is good to start practicing using formal dresses early rather than late, despite opinions to the contrary.

Law practice is all about the establishment – it is about upholding the present system or about trying to alter and improve it; dressing unprofessionally presents discomfort or apathy towards established systems and lowers the chances of success of a lawyer. Dressing formally, and being comfortable in formal professional attire, visibly demonstrates a pro-establishment attitude; it is something you need to get comfortable with right while at college, and before beginning to face job interviews.

General tips on dressing properly for law students

Of course, by now you know we are not talking about how you dress at college canteens, but how you should practice, and what you should watch out for, with respect to professional interactions and professional circles.

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  • Cufflinks and tiepins are awesome. A matching set of sober cufflinks and tiepin can help to establish a sense of style and impress people with ease. It is easy to be carried away with shine and glitter; when choosing cufflinks and tiepins, take care to ensure that they convey style without being too flashy.
     
  • Avoid wrinkled dresses; casual dresses in formal places make you stand out in the wrong way
     
  • Well ironed and steamed dresses are approved by professional people and during professional interactions
     
  • In court, of course you’d be following dress codes, but in out-of-court settings, dressing professionally is very important and you should always try to match the occasion and go with the crowd – wearing a three-piece suit, where everybody is in tennis shorts and on a picnic is not recommended
     
  • Never forget using collar stays when putting on a shirt
     
  • Wear undergarments and undershirts – they absorb sweat and are professional
     
  • Dress sober – dark shades in trousers and coats, light shades in shirts, and simple ties are good – always check the contrast to avoid looking informal or garish
     
  • For women in the beginning of their careers, it may be – and we stress ‘may be’ – good to avoid flashy heels or other eye-catching dress styles, so that people concentrate more on your capabilities and come to appreciate them
     
  • It’s good not to chance open-toe shoes or skirts shorter than knee-length for women right at the beginning of their careers – however for exceptional people, really, anything goes
     
  • Again for women at the beginning of their careers, it is safe to be conservative in every item of your dress from the pantyhose to your shirt – you want people to focus on your work capabilities early – once your capabilities are recognized, you can afford to dress the way you like, for by then the relevant people won’t bother about how you dress
The importance of dressing to suit the occasion cannot be overemphasized. In a crowd, royalty is set apart from commoners, sometimes by dress alone. From the military to the courts, professional bodies have well-established dress codes, because dress matters – it sends signals to the brain, and it is a mark of acquaintance with the established ways of doing things and shows a person’s respect for sophrosyne.

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Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.

published November 12, 2012

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left
( 19 votes, average: 3.9 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.