Types of Lawyers

Eric Schaeffer of The Legal Underground contends that there are 17:

#1: The Big Firm Summer Associate
#2: The Partner Who Talks Too Fast
#3: The Lawyer Who Advertises on TV
#4: The Lawyer Who Carries Another Lawyer’s Briefcase
#5: The Lawyer Who Brings Her Breast Pump to the Office
#6: The Mafia Lawyer
#7: The Modest Lawyer
#8: The Partner Who Golfs
#9: The Lawyer on the Run
#10: The Lawyer Who's in the Wrong Profession
#11: The Lawyer from the Planet Og
#12: The Lawyer Who's Writing a Legal Thriller
#13: The Stereotypical Lawyer
#14: The Lawyer Who's on The Apprentice
#15: The Associate Who Knew Where the Bodies Were Buried
#16: The Lawyer with the Shiny New Gadget
#17: The Associate Who Finally Gets a Chance to Meet the Senior Partner

Source: Robert Ambrogi

Fish Net Stockings Banned

Sometime ago the Wall Street Journal law blog discussed whether associates [at law firms] are too freewheeling with fashion [1] following the publication of this article. [2]

Now, it appears that a law firm in London has banned its staff from wearing fishnet stockings, because employees find them “distracting”. [3]

Responses to this [4] seem to vary from:

What a total load of tosh - it's all about their inadequacies, not yours! My male partners openly coo when I'm wearing Jimmy Choos, short skirts and nicely cut tops as it all reinforces the image they wish to project about themselves, the people they work with and the quality of bird they've attracted to the partnership. The fishnets though makes them feel uncomfortable - one step too close to their perceptions of tartiness!
Posted by: City Woman on 03 Apr 2008

to

Fishnet stockings? Are you out of your mind?? Which law firm do you work for? Soho Working Girls LLP? If you want to recognised for your legal skills rather than your ability to lie on your back, stop being so stubborn.
Posted by: Investment Banker on 03 Apr 2008

I'm not entirely certain I understand why fish net stockings have specifically been banned but although I'd love to wax eloquent about the importance of freedom and choice, I'm not sure whether everything is acceptable work wear or if a line should be drawn somewhere (though presumably not at fish net stockings -- yeah, I like them though I can't remember the last time I wore a pair; for some reason I usually get stuck in plain brown or beige ones.)

A while ago I heard of an Indian IT company banning gaudy Indian clothes from being worn at the office. Considering that a large fraction of Indian clothes are, well, loud, I'm not sure how that worked out.

Links:
[1] blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/01/31/are-associates-too-freewheeling-with-fashion/
[2] online.wsj.com/article/SB120175142140831193.html
[3] timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rod_liddle/article3689757.ece
[4] legalweek.com/Navigation/28/Articles/1112050/Career+Clinic+Management+says+my+fishnets+are+a+distraction!.html

About Judging Women …and Rambling On

This post began as a response to Nita’s comments…
Thank you for your comments.
I’ve never understood why women are sometimes so nasty towards each other either. In fact, in my own life, many of the cruelest things I’ve heard said about women are by other women in situations where the men I interact with quite simply wouldn’t say anything simply to avoid being rude / inappropriate –- many of my male acquaintances, for example, do not use language which is ‘coarse’ in front of me and certainly wouldn’t dream of using words like bitch / slut etc. within my hearing (although there is no doubt in my mind that they do use them when I’m out of earshot).
I too doubt that men are as judgmental about other men although I think that that may have to do with men being allowed more leeway in general. So even if most men allow other men the ordinary liberties which all men are allowed without making any special exceptions, what it amounts to is men being able to ‘get away with’ more, so to speak.
It seems to me that most men very clearly divide women into categories; two categories to be specific: one of sluts, whores, etc. and the other of sisters, mothers, etc.; one category which they fail to treat with even the most basic courtesy and the other which they respect (or claim to respect).
One of the explanations I’ve come across to explain why women are so harsh on each other is because they know that it is extremely easy to go from being treated with respect to not being treated with respect — all it could take is something like having one partner too many — and it is this knowledge that not only makes them realize that their own position is precarious but also encourages them to do whatever it takes to maintain it and denigrate those who fail to do so. After all, minus financial independence, in practical terms, the difference could quite easily determine whether or a woman has a roof over her head.
As far as feminism goes, I dislike having the term ‘feminist’ with all the negative connotations associated with it being applied to me because I don’t see myself believing in anything other than that which the legal and social systems in most parts of the world profess to believe: that people — whether they be men or women — should be treated equally, non-abusively and with respect.
I don’t know if feminism has got a bad name simply because some feminists tend to be, well, rabid, or if speaking badly of both feminism and feminists is simply how many men have chosen to respond to women who assert themselves.
Personally, I’ve got a lot of really nasty mail from people who simply don’t like what I think because they believe that women should necessarily stay at home, cook, clean and have children. Also, one thing which once got me a little worried is seeing some of these people coordinate with each other online, discuss what they’ve each been saying to people they disapprove of, create formats in which to send mail to such people and encourage each other to mail them. Seeing that happen was the first time I realised what it must be like to be a child and have pedophiles coordinate with each other in reference to one — I’m not equating myself with a child in that position in any way or saying that any of men who’ve mailed me are criminal, I’m only saying that they can be very well-organised and that their organisation can be overwhelming (not to mention intimidating).

Related reading:

[1] Judging a Magazine by its Cover: How Women are Defined : http://mediacrit.wetpaint.com/page/Judging+a+Magazine+by+its+Cover:+How+Women+are+Defined?t=anon[2] What Women Lawyers Really Think of Each Other : http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/what_women_lawyers_really_think_of_each_other/