Photo Credit: Stephen Coburn

We as a board are constantly looking for ways to improve our industry. We devote a great deal of time to identifying issues facing our generation and contemplate ways in which we, as young lawyers, can create awareness and facilitate appropriate change. Once in a while, the "older guard" throws us a softball.

This week an article titled "Dressing in a Lawyerly Way: 10 Reasons to Wear a Suit and Tie" appeared in the Legal Intelligencer. The article offered advice to lawyers on how to dress like professionals and highlighted a few benefits of doing so. It was great reading—for the waiting room of a urologist's office. Not only does the title of the article equate looking lawyerly with work clothing traditionally worn by men, the article itself ignores female attire entirely! We're all for looking lawyerly, but since when is that synonymous with wearing a suit and tie?

The article goes on to question the judgment of those who choose not to shave (their faces) and encourages readers to patronize the local men's store. The author also points out the usefulness of a suit as an informal barometer of healthy living, contrasting it with the forgiving nature of slacks and an untucked shirt. The author was providing advice on "dressing lawyerly" and, whether he realized it or not, defaulting toward a traditional male audience.

Make no mistake—we're not suggesting that the article was written with any ill intent; quite the contrary, in fact. It's clear the article was written in good faith, and that the author wishes to impart upon his fellow barristers the advantages of professional attire. The problem lies not with his advice, but with his failure to recognize the limits of its application.

We get it—we're living in a time when it's difficult to say anything without offending someone, and we hope this response is not summarily discredited for that reason. The truth is we chose to respond not because we're necessarily offended, but because we believe in challenging one another and promoting honest discussion.

Sure, a suit and tie is a great look for some, but there are a lot more ways to look lawyerly.

The YL Editorial Board members: Leigh Ann Benson, Rachel Dichter, Scott Finger, Sarah Goodman, Kevin Harden, Jae Kim, Kandis Kovalsky, Bethany Nikitenko, Rob Stanko, chairman; Jeffrey Stanton, Shohin Vance and Meredith Wooters