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At one of those pow-wows for female lawyers, where the goal is to fire up women about their careers, the speaker—a stylish female judge—asked the audience: “And, ladies, don't you feel powerful when you stride into that courtroom in your Louboutin pumps with the five-inch heels?”

Judging by the nods and big smiles in the audience, the answer seemed to be a resounding yes.

Maybe it's become a talking point among those in the women-empowerment racket, but I have a hard time understanding the notion that expensive, sky-high pumps boost a woman's confidence. In my experience, no matter how much they cost, they're painful. And pain is not empowering. (Yes, I know, some women swear that Manolos, which retail for well over $600 a pair, are “comfortable,” but I'm not convinced.)

So what's the deal? Are high, high heels a basic necessity in the female lawyer's arsenal? And are women jeopardizing their careers if they wear a shoe that's only three inches (gasp!) high or less (double gasp!)?

“I definitely noticed the trend several years ago where wearing expensive high heels became de rigueur among female lawyers,” says Alanna Rutherford, a former Boies Schiller Flexner partner who's now vice president of global litigation at Visa Inc. “I always thought it was more about a display of wealth—Louboutins and Jimmy Choos—than power.”

Of course, high heels are also about sex. Because a woman is basically balancing on her toes, high heels make her legs look longer, more shapely and alluring. But for whatever reason, high heels also have become an indispensable component of looking “professional” and “put together.”

Kila Baldwin, a partner at personal injury firm Kline & Specter in Philadelphia, learned the perils of not wearing heels, according to an article about female trial lawyers in The Atlantic by Lara Bazelon. When her tendons got inflamed, Baldwin switched to flats in arguing a case before a jury. After the trial, a female juror criticized her shoe choice. ”You get less respect,” Baldwin said about not wearing heels.

So does Baldwin regard high heels as something oppressive—something she dreads wearing? Not at all. “They are absolutely empowering, but also painful,” she tells me. “I long to wear them but can't,” alluding to her injury.

Amazingly, injuries do not dampen some women's high heel longings. A former Big Law partner who now works for the government also laments not being able to wear towering heels after a foot injury. She argues that heels “actually physically alter a person. They make the person taller,” adding that she feels “a loss” for no longer wearing them. “I don't think it's nonsense when women say it make them more powerful. They're a way better version of shoulder pads!”

But former litigator Rutherford cautions: “I just don't think it's practical if you are someone who spends any amount of time on your feet or running around a courtroom and courthouse.”

Rutherford concedes, however, that high heels have their purpose. She recalls dealing with a business person “who thought he knew the law better than the lawyers.” To put him in his place, she wore her highest heels “which made me a couple inches taller than he was,” she says. “So, if using heels for strategic advantage or literal leverage over someone is what is meant by feeling powerful, I guess I have done it at least once and can concede the positive effect.”

The bottom line: High heels are painful, but so worth the agony. Go figure.

Contact Vivia Chen at [email protected]. On Twitter: @lawcareerist