The Importance of Looking Your Best

Practicing law I am exposed to a nice cross-section of my community.  I work every day with the most affluent professionals in my area through my colleagues and the businessmen and women that hire us.  I also see those less fortunate in the court system, many of which have no choice but to apply for legal aid to help with their problems.  Of course, not everyone has the same economic means as their neighbor, but looking your best is extremely important in our justice system, and out in the real world.

Take my office, for example.  Practicing law is taxing, and some days I just want to show up in jeans and get work done.  Problem is, prospective clients don't really want to see their lawyer in jeans, even if this is nothing more than an unconscious message that something just isn't right.  I still work in jeans some times, mind you, but it is always with the understanding that I am sacrificing my business to some degree.  By looking my best, i.e. a suit or at least a tie, I ensure that my clients will get something they expected, and the red flags in their brain never surface.  Shaving, combing my hair, shining shoes, all are things that society just expects of someone in my field.  If I don't provide them with that image, they look for an excuse as to why my appearance is different.  Of course, I don't just wear the standard white shirt, blue blazer, rep tie combo, but even the most outrageous tie is better than no tie.

At its base, my goal is to get clients to hire me and pay their bills in a timely manner.  Looking my best just makes that easier, whether I am a lawyer, doctor, or plumber.  The point is this:  looking your best makes your goal easier.  "Your best" is defined by your objective.  So, if your goal is to convince fellow thugs to take you into the inner sanctum and rob a bank, your appearance will differ from applying for a loan at Wells Fargo.

I see the problem in court every day, where some folks have clearly considered the hearing before them more important than others.  What some fail to realize is that our justice system is based on asking other individuals to do something for us, whether it's a single judge or panel of jurors.  I cannot tell you how often I see litigants in court with arm tattoos, dirty t-shirts, and flip flops confused as to why the judge won't agree with them.  These people may not have loafers and a blazer, but a clean shirt should not be that difficult.  A judge is tasked with making difficult decisions with minimum amounts of time, and one's appearance and demeanor in court is necessarily a factor in that decision.  I am not saying you will always get what you want, but it surely is easier to explain why the drugs weren't yours in a tie than a pair of cammo shorts and birkenstocks.  

I feel compelled to write this today in part because I have noticed that I do better and act better when I look my best.  I am more likely to persuade a judge in a suit, and clients hire me when I trade my Levi's for wool trousers.  If you are stuck in a legal battle, your road is difficult enough.  Don't muddy the waters by showing up like you just rolled out of bed.  Show the other participants that you value the process, and I guarantee you will see results.

Now shine those shoes!

JD

John D. Duncan is president of J.D. Duncan, PC, founding partner of Prater, Duncan & Craig, LLC in Newnan, Georgia, and is Esquire by Day.  You can find him at www.jdduncanlaw.com, or follow him on twitter and Facebook.