new thread
Hello, i am about to become a lawyer and ive been told i should get a haircut. my hair is about shoulder length (think jesus).
would my hair have any negative effects on my career?
honestly appreciated, no need to here feel good bullshit if it isnt true.
There is absolutely no way I would ever know.
Guess the only thing to do is "your own thing that is you" and see what happens.
I would probably hire a longhair lawyer over a conservative shorthaired stuffy shirt. But then others might not take you seriously, but then that is their problem.
Carefull of cuss words on the board, you would not want to get sued... Just kidding.
I , personally , would hire a lawyer with long hair , But that is just me. I support long hair and like long hair so i guess that is why i wouldn't mind. Now, I highly doubt any short haired person will take you serious. The first thing that will come to their narrow mind is, Oh he is not serious , Maybe he is a crook , He looks unprofessional , Do we trust him etc... After all , in the white collar way of life , Long hair is uncommon. Generaly speaking , Short hair is prominent in contemporary society. So , The decision is solely yours to make. Should you follow the herd , Or stray and be an independent sheep? That is the million dollar question.......
~chris~
Depends on how good a lawyer you are. If you're a good lawyer
people will seek your services out.
If you watch cable TV news there are several long haired lawyers.
How important is your hair to you? Can you take that into your career and "wear" it as part of your integrity? There's not a simple answer to your question. Just more questions.
Who do you see your clients as? corporate clients? Probably a tough crowd to work with in long hair. But, as several have said here, the short, traditional corporate hair cut means nothing about trust. Look at our politicians, our president, and probably most of the attorneys any of us have had negative dealings with. What did the hair prove? Very little.
When I see a man in long hair in ANY profession, I immediately know that he has a courage at least in social and cultural terms that the average guy does not have. He has my attention for that alone.
Will that help you as an attorney? Can you open a practice or find a firm who gets this?
Robert
You ever seen "The Life of David Gale"? the defense lawyer has a tail...
I would think that if you are planning on joining a big firm and working your way up through the ranks that long hair would be a hinderance. If you are planning on joining a smaller firm there is a chance that your hair would not be a problem. Going out on your own or with one or two others should not be a problem. The reputation you develop with your professional abilities should preclude any secondary attributes.
Good luck.
No doubt you were told to cut your hair by someone with short hair. The fox who got his tail cut off in an accident wanted all the other foxes to cut their tails off too, but they all said that they liked their tails just fine.
The negative effects depend upon what country you live in, what part of the country you live in (if it is the USA), and who you will be working for. The attitudes in a large corporate law firm in Chicago or New York that represented large business concerns would be far different than the attitude in a small firm in a medium to smaller size town that drew up deeds and closed loans for farmers and local small businesses.
I guess it depends too on the type of clientele you want to attract. That is a loaded response, and I canna make sweeping generalizations, but personally I would choose the lawyer with the long hair. But for some, you must realize that in certain situations, especially trial law where you are appearing in court, the lawyer may be chosen upon appearance to some degree for the jury can be swayed by little factors sometimes, even of it is only slight, it may make a difference in a case. Now, for certain clients, they would choose the short-haired clean-cut lawyer, just because, sadly, but pervasively, the majority of people out there, including those on the jury, are going to (although it is SO wrong) equate the traditional 1950's male image in the suit as trustworthy. And this is solely because they, the jury, and we, are a product of our cultures, and for those of us who see it for what it is, it is entertaining, but for those who don't, the appearance can be influential upon certain things and have a strong subliminal effect.
So, I would say that your hair might effect your carrer depending on what area of the law or even what area of the country you will be working in. Sadly again, you may have to be all the better in order to prove yourself if you do keep your hair. But, I hope you do keep it. I wish you success and many happy returns.
Do you feel good now!?! HAHAHA!
When you are starting out, it will probably be more of a problem and yes, the larger the firm, the more likely they will not appreciate your individuality (there is no way most other people there will have a chance to learn much about you, and so will judge you based on appearances and their own preconceptions). However, with more experience, or if you work in a smaller firm where the other people actually have a chance to get to know you as a person, it will be less of an issue. I have been a real estate lawyer for 15+ years and starting out in a large firm, I did keep my hair shorter. But, I've had it mid-back length for the last 10 years or so (and did in law school too), and don't really find it an issue - a number of clients have said they love it and that I should never cut it. If anyone is bothered by it, they don't need to work with me! But that's easier said at this stage of my career than when I was just starting. And, if I ever did want to return to a more formal corporate setting, I'd probably have to cut it again (but would try to keep it at least shoulder length! Good luck!
The successful practice of law depends very much on attention to detail. As your client, I would be far more concerned that you don't know when to use capital letters, when to use apostrophes, and when to use "hear" vs. "here", than I'd be concerned about your hair length.
"Client concern" is, of course, also the main concern about your appearance. As others have suggested, clients in some fields of law will be more apt to care about that than clients in others. Corporate clients will be more picky than criminal defendants, for example. Firms often specialize in representing plaintiffs or defendants, and plaintiffs' firms tend to be more picky than defendants'. Charting your course with thought of clients' likely opinions in various fields may enable you to encounter less resistance.
And far more important, do learn to write like a lawyer. Good writing is everything about being clearly understood, and following conventions is part of that. Following them gives you power. Not following them makes you come off as a wimp, and no one wants to hire a wimp lawyer.
Bill Choisser, J.D.
I completely agree. To be taken seriously in the business world especially, one has to have good communication skills. Bad grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. give off a perception of laziness, or worse, ineptitude.
It never fails to amaze me that people will send out resumes with spelling mistakes! What kind of impression does that leave?!!
...Reminds me of an application I recently read written by a guy wanting to work as a gardener at the nursing home I work at... When asked on the application what job position he was seeking, the guy spelled it "Landskipping", --- instead of "Landscaping" (lol!!)... Needless to say, even though spelling and punctuation errors are often forgiven on many blue-collar job applications, that particular applicant was not only NOT hired; but, as I recall, not even called in for an interview, --- based on that careless spelling error alone!!!!
- Ken
I used to teach Voice and Diction years ago and my sources always stressed that the way a person speaks (and the way he or she carries himself physically) makes a more lasting impression than the way he or she looks. First impressions may be made on his or her physical appearance and style of dress and hair, but these are then superceded by how articulate a person is, and if his posture and walk promote dignity, respect for themselves and others, and is non-threatening. A person can be as hairy as a gorilla but if he looks you in the eye, presents a aura of good will and addresses you with respect, most people quickly adjust their first impression and what he looks like diminshes as an issue.
I'm only a patent agent, but I'm sitting in my office in a law firm typing this, and nobody here seems to care how long my hair is.
OTOH, there have been a couple of law firm interviews where the interviewers were visibly astonished by my appearance, as in you could tell that seeing me struck them dumb for a fraction of a second. No, they didn't offer me a job, but many others didn't either.
As for courtrooms, I obviously don't have first person experience as I'm not a lawyer, but from what I've seen it makes no difference how long your hair is, and I have seen long haired lawyers in court. All you have to do is wear a suit and tie and call the judge 'your honour', or whatever the appropriate honorific may be.
If you want to be a partner in a big firm you might get there quicker if you cut your hair, but it's not the only variable. What gets you there quickest is if you can bring in your own clients, and if you can do that then I don't think they will care about what you look like.
So what it comes down to is getting that first job out of law school. In all likelihood someone will hire you, and if they don't you can always start up on your own.
There's a popular criminal lawyer in Atlanta who has a braid nearly as long as mine (click on my avatar picture to see mine), except his is gray. He must be good, because all of the sleaziest criminals hire him.
Of course, I don't know if he had long hair when he was starting out. Now that he's established, he can probably do whatever he wants to with regard to his appearance.