Friday, May 22, 2009

Some tips for women about courtroom attire: "lose the Ally McBeal look"

Read the ABA Journal item by Debra Cassens Weiss here.

An excerpt with quotes from several judges follows. Note that Judge Lefkow is female:

Judge Michael McCuskey, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, ... raise[d] another concern. Some women come to court wearing "skirts so short that there's no way they can sit down and blouses so short there's no way the judges wouldn't look," he said.

After laughter erupted, Bankruptcy Judge Benjamin Goldgar of Chicago offered that the matter needs to be addressed because it is “a huge problem.” He said sometimes he wishes he could tell the female lawyer before him, "I'd really like to pay attention to your argument."

* * *

Lefkow, described in the article as “a smart dresser à la Brooks Brothers,” had a different bit of advice. She said women lawyers should take a look at the fashion blog Corporette. Recent blog posts highlighted “a lovely Albert Nipon pique dress and jacket, currently on sale at Neiman Marcus” and the great debate over ponytails at the office.

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