The letter was covered by local news outlets and shared widely on social media. During the coronavirus pandemic, she wanted to make those connections online and considered putting together a newsletter for lawyers. Singh has been organizing meetings where lawyers and judges - including Judge Bailey, her former boss - talk shop. “I don’t take them as seriously.”įor years, Ms. “I have seen employees on the other side of meetings looking like they literally rolled out of bed,” she said.
Mia Singh, a lawyer in Broward County and the president of the Weston Bar Association there, said she agreed with Judge Bailey. “Often,” he wrote, “lawyers are not looking at their screens but down at their files, their outlines and notes, or simply out the window, and cannot see the judge is hollering, ‘Stop! Stop!’ because an objection has been made and the audio stays with the witness rather than obeying the judge.” Judge Bailey, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, noted in his letter that video platforms like Zoom can make it easier for lawyers to talk over one another, and over the judge. “As such,” Judge Tuter added, “we have expected appropriate dress but not necessarily enforced it.”
In Family Court, he said, “many folks are self-representing and may or may not follow dress code rules.” In an email on Wednesday, Jack Tuter, the chief judge of the 17th Circuit, said that he had not reviewed Judge Bailey’s letter before publication and that it did not reflect official policy in the circuit. “Better resourced law firms will have the means to ensure that their attorneys appear in the best possible light - both figurative and literal light,” Mr. “What this letter puts out in the open is something that all courts should be aware of, which is that parties are going to be judged based on their appearance,” said Douglas Keith, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. The letter from Judge Bailey was a rare glimpse into a judge’s personal view of court proceedings, and into the particular challenges of keeping the legal system moving when people can’t gather in person.
“The legal profession is an interesting one when it comes to attire,” said Julie Zerbo, a lawyer and the founder of the Fashion Law, a blog that covers the legal side of the fashion industry. Those questions can be especially tricky if you work in the courts.
Can you get away with wearing pajama bottoms to a virtual meeting? And can you look professional if you don’t have a bookshelf for a backdrop? For people who are working remotely, videoconferencing has introduced a new range of etiquette questions.