Can a Lawyer Wear Pink? (Yes, but...)

Yes, lawyers can wear the color pink.

But you’ll find that few lawyers do.

In the article that follows, we’ll explain.

Can a Lawyer Wear Pink? (Explained)

Lawyers are subject to specific rules when it comes to appearance in court.

However, those rules tell us pretty much that we need to wear suits (men need to wear a jacket and tie, while women need to wear an equivalent).

The court rules across the country may be more specific, such as requiring close toed shoes, barring jeans, or prohibiting hats.

But in most cases, there’s nothing specific about tattoos, piercings, hair length, hairstyle, or facial hair.

While there are no rules about what colors you can wear, like you’d expect with the military, we do know that some jurisdictions issue ‘advisements’ about colors.

Some judges will treat lawyers who don’t follows those advisements negatively, like refusing to hear their matter or placing them last on the docket.

Overall, Lawyers Tend To Police Themselves

In the absence of specific guidelines, lawyers tend to dress conservatively all on their own, for several reasons.

First, lawyers tend to dress like clients expect to see them dressed – in sharp/expensive looking business professional clothing in muted colors, forgoing visible tattoos or piercings.

Since clients expect it (that’s how lawyers dress in movies and on tv), that’s what we give them.

Second, a lawyer’s appearance is often connected directly to his presumed skills/abilities.

A lawyer who looks expensive and sharp is perceived to be a good lawyer from those who don’t know much about lawyers.

On the other hand, a lawyer who is dressed unlike the rest in wild colors or styles is not necessarily perceived to be as good of a lawyer as the others, even though this is not undeserved.

The habit of dressing conservatively starts in law school and right after graduation in the job search.

New grads will dress in order to focus the hiring committees on their resume, rather than on their appearance.

Lawyers dress conservatively (in color and style) so that clients will focus on their skills rather than on their clothes.

In trials, lawyers will also dress like a lawyer so that the jurors will focus on the facts and not make decisions about the case based upon their opinions of the lawyers clothing.

Good Reasons To Wear Pink As a Lawyer

As a new lawyer, ladies feel pressure to confirm in both their manner and dress.

As they get older and gain more experience, female lawyers tend to relax their standards about manner and dress.

They are more confident in their work, and care a lot less about what people think about their clothing.

Wearing bright colors (like pink) as an experienced attorney can often work to their benefit.

When a lawyer can combine a good looking stand out suit with some serious skills, the bright color may draw the kind of clients that the attorney wants to have (the kind of clients who like the suit, rather than the opposite).

Regardless, assuming you aren’t going against the recommendations of the local bench or bar, I think that an experienced attorney wearing a bright color signals self-confidence, which is a great thing to signal.

And an unexperienced attorney wearing a bright color might signal lack of awareness, which is not a great thing to signal.

Adding Color To Your Ensemble

While most lawyers do not wear an entire suit of a bright color, many do accessorize with colors of all kinds.

Men wear colorful ties and socks.

Women wear bright shoes, belts, scarves, or camisoles under the suit jackets (so the color peaks out).

Women also tote brightly colored purses or bags.

While the bench or bar might frown on an entire suit of pink (pale, rose, or hot pink), it is doubtful that anyone will say a thing if you were to accessorize with the color in a professional manner.

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