What to Wear: The Unwritten Lawyer Dress Code in Canada

After years of undergrad and law school — cramming for tests and hanging out with friends in your favourite jeans and sweatshirt — dressing up for an interview at a law firm can be scary. But switching your wardrobe doesn’t have to be intimidating, especially if you treat shopping for career clothing as a professional development activity.

In this article, our 4Students’ fashion panel discusses important points about the unwritten lawyer dress code in Canada. This is for law students and articling interns who are vying for a position at law firms, or for lawyers who just want to shake their closet for something new.

What is the lawyer dress code in Canada?

Whether for interview or daily office clothes, planning what to wear should not be any more stressful than when studying the law or writing a pleading. As a typical law student, you may only have one all-purpose suit (e.g., for graduation, wedding, funeral, etc.). However, when undertaking to fill out your closet with law firm-friendly clothing, your mantra should be: “quality, fit, and classic.”

Where to get this ‘unwritten’ lawyer dress code

Your law school is one of the best sources of tips on lawyer dress codes, especially when preparing for an interview or internship.

“The career co-ordinator at [the University of Windsor] was really good about giving tips on what to wear in terms of wearing dark suits and wearing something very professional, so I always had that in the back of my mind,” says Faithlyn Hemmings. She is currently the Vice President and Lead Counsel for Canada at General Motors Canada.

Aside from your law school, your law firm’s policies are also an additional source on how to dress appropriately. Upon landing that coveted job, you may want to ask your mentors about their policies or their preferences when it comes to your daily attire.

For men, wearing business casual attire for the office is the best go-to. Here’s a video on how to do a business casual look when working in a law firm:

Learning how to dress your best can also be from the best lawyers themselves. Get to know the best lawyers in Canada by checking out our Best Lawyers Rankings page looking at what they have on.

What should I wear when interviewing for a law firm?

Kinji C. Bourchier, now a Partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, says dressing conservative is key. Bourchier does presentations at the University of British Columbia law school on how to interview successfully — which includes advice on what not to wear.

“There’s nothing wrong with having personality, especially in what you wear, but you don’t want to stand out for a negative reason,” he says.

In other words, be yourself but...maybe draw the line a bit short of Saul Goodman’s usual dress code!

He'll fight for you, Albuquerque. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/7UDodn7P2D

— Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) October 1, 2022

Classics are in, flashy clothes are out

You can’t go wrong with the classics, says Ed Liston, who worked as a merchandise manager of the designer collection at Harry Rosen. “I would say, in general, the number-one suit that we see here, the tried-and-true, would be the plain, navy blue suit,” he says. “As far as the co-ordination, the natural is the white shirt with a burgundy or wine or red tie.”

Bourchier agrees and says he always recommends the following for a student to wear:

• a conservative two- or three-button navy blue, or
• charcoal suit with a white or blue shirt and a tie

“And the tie shouldn’t be a fish tie,” he laughs. “You want to be known for being presentable and looking sharp, in terms of the suit fits you and it’s a nice suit and your shoes are polished. I don’t think it’s necessary to go out and spend $3,000 on a suit.”

Hemmings says she sticks with classic items to prolong the life of her wardrobe, rather than picking up trendy sales items. “Classics are important because you can’t afford to be shopping every season. You want things that are going to last for the next five years.”

Speaking of classics, your daily office wear would be entirely different when it comes to appearing in court, especially for certain courts. For instance, except for the lower courts, court robes must be worn when appearing before the Federal Court, the Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of Canada. But don’t worry, wearing wigs is now a discontinued practice in Canada.

This video generally explains the evolution of the lawyer dress code in North America:

The lawyer dress code can even be applied to law students, such as when going to classes and especially when applying for summer internships with law firms. Check out our article about what to wear in law school in Canada for more tips on dressing up as a law student.

How should I dress when I’m working for a law firm?

After landing that plum summer or articling position, the fail-safe charcoal or navy suit isn’t going to take you through an entire work week. When building a professional wardrobe, choose your pieces thoughtfully and learn to maximize your wardrobe.

Learn how to mix and match

Part of learning about the lawyer dress code and maximizing your wardrobe are the different ways to mix and match your outfit. Given your limited budget as a student or even as a new lawyer, here are the things that you can do:

• Buying a ‘two-in-one suit’: Hemmings says that when she's buying a suit, she tries to buy three pieces — the skirt, the pants, and the jacket. “Right there you have two suits. Rather than spending the money on two separate suits you’ve got a two-in-one suit.”

• Mixing shirts and ties: Bourchier recalls that as an articling student he had two suits and would rotate them with a variety of shirts and ties. “[Students] should have one or two nice suits, and they should be blue and charcoal, because you can interchange the parts.” It can also create bold expressions by changing shirts and ties and it gives the impression you have more clothes than you actually do.

• Getting an all-purpose black suit: Liston says black suits offer the versatility that a young lawyer may want. “I think for a young man, a black suit is multi-purpose. It can serve in both daytime and in the evening. He can wear it in the daytime and then it’s a great suit for events or if he does want to go out at night. It’s good for both business and social.”

You can also try building your own lawyer dress code by combining different colors. Here are also some suggested colors that you can try to mix with each other — from top to bottom — depending on your own personal style:

Branded clothes: is it worth it for lawyers?

When it comes to selecting a suit, the cut, fit, and fabric should be at the forefront rather than the cost or brand name. “It depends on what your resources are. If you have the resources to spend $1,200 on a Hugo Boss suit, sure, go ahead,” says Bourchier. “But I can tell you I work at a large downtown law firm in Vancouver and I don’t look at someone and go ‘Oh, because they don’t have an [Ermenegildo] Zegna suit on, they’re not worth interviewing.’”

Timing the right time to buy a suit

Bourchier says that, for both men and women, you’re going to have to purchase one or two suits at least. To get a cheaper price, he advises that after Christmas, when you know you have interviews coming up next year, see if you can buy a suit when it’s going to be on sale. This includes planning ahead for future on-campus interviews.

“Don’t buy something trendy, but something that’s going to last you a couple of years. Conversely, don’t just buy something because it’s on sale.”

Here’s Bourchier showing some classic style in his profile photo from our sister publication Lexpert:

As far as accessores go, that watch says a lot about his personal style and commitment to timeless looks. Clients respond to that type of professionalism.

Quality also matters

Hemmings says that when she’s shopping for a suit she focuses on quality, classics, and sales. “In terms of quality, you can have a suit on and if it’s not good quality it just doesn’t look good,” she says. “I always look for good materials, I don’t necessarily want polyester.” And if you do choose a polyblend, it’s important that the garment has a good shape, she notes.

Here’s Hemmings in a classic, quality, timeless look from a profile photo in our sister publication Canadian Lawyer:

Maintaining your own personality

Amidst all this formal wear and pumped-up heels, it’s still important that you let your personality show while still following the lawyer dress code. There are a lot of ways to maintain a professional look as a lawyer, while still bringing out a bit of your personality.

Liston advises men to not take a big leap right away by taking these simple steps:

• they can start with a couple of white shirts or white with stripes
• then move into blues, then a blue stripe
• then once you start to build in your accessories, be a little adventurous with pinks and lavenders

Hemmings thinks the times have changed and young lawyers can be a little more funky in their approach. “You don’t always have to wear the black suit, the navy blue suit, and you can still come as looking very professional and very put together,” she says. “For me, the big thing is shoes. Shoes can really jazz up what would otherwise be something very plain and something very boring. Colour in shoes is great and that’s where I put a lot of my personal style.”

Here is other advice when it comes to matching what you wear with your own personality:

• Beware of anything too trendy: Bourchier advises against jumping on anything that may be too trendy if you don’t have the resources to continually buy new outfits. If it goes out of style and you’re a student, you can’t afford to buy another piece easily.
• Be wary of dated fads: Bourchier says to be wary of fads like the Regis Philbin (monochromatic shirt-and-tie combo) or the Lee Iacocca (two-tone, French-cuff shirt) because they look dated.
• Stick with the classics: “Some classic looks never go out of style. It might not be as cutting edge, but bear in mind that you’re a lawyer and not a Hollywood movie star who’s going down the red carpet every day,” Bourchier says.
• Let your age come off: Liston says that the style for a young man is a look “that’s trimmer, more sleek, modern, contemporary. Less is more.”

Dressing casually in a law firm setting

Now that you’ve got your professional look, there are times when you’re allowed to break the lawyer dress code and dress casually. Examples of these are ‘casual Fridays,’ although policies vary from firm to firm.

But that doesn’t mean your judgment should go into the closet along with your suit and tie at the end of the week. When law firms say casual, they sometimes mean business casual. “You always have to use your common sense,” says Hemmings.

So, when confronted with how to wear ‘casually’ in the law firm, think of these tips:

• Casual for women: Hemmings says that when she wears jeans, she typically pairs them with heels and a jacket. “You never know what’s going to happen. You never know if a client’s going to pop in to see you, and if they do, you want to look presentable. You want to look like a professional for your clients at all times. That’s the thing I always want to keep in the back of my mind: I’m trying to represent my firm and I’m trying to represent myself to people out there, and I like looking good.”
• Casual for men: Bourchier is on the same page with Hemmings and says he sticks with a button-up shirt, polo shirt, or sweater paired up with dress pants — no jeans, no sneakers. Liston recommends a jacket, a blazer, or a sport coat as a base to any outfit on the casual side. “[Men] can wear a nice cotton pair of trousers or if he still wanted to be on the dressier side, a shirt with no tie. The shirt may not be as business-like, you might want to play with a little colour here with these new shades of pink or lavender, but it’s still a crisp, clean shirt.”

Getting help when dressing for a law firm

While a lot of people enjoy shopping, what about those who break out in a cold sweat at the very thought of picking out their own clothes? If you’re one of those who need help purchasing what to wear to stay true to the lawyer dress code, here are some things that you can do:

• Ask a friend for help: Hemmings says that “if you can, take along someone with you who knows what looks good on you and who will be honest with you. You’re not going to do it often, so you go once and say you’re going to spend whatever amount of time on shopping and then you don’t have to do it again for another six months.”
• Shop with your law school friends: Bourchier suggests asking a friend at law school who enjoys shopping and going together for an hour. He says that if you’re adverse to shopping and oblivious to what suits you, the worst thing you can do is go it alone.
• Finding a trusted sales associate: If you’re someone who doesn’t like to shop, Liston recommends finding a sales associate you can trust. “Find a place with the right sales associate, someone you feel comfortable with who’s not going to sell you something just for the sake of selling you something.”

Lawyer dress code: from the interview to the daily hustle

Making a good impression during your interview for a job at a law firm is significant. This is why understanding the lawyer dress code in Canada is essential, not just to land that coveted job, but also to dress appropriately at the right place and time. It also includes dressing right for the court and for the clients — the crucial people that you must look good for.

Aside from learning about Canada’s lawyer dress code, future (and current) law students can learn more about how and where to study law by heading to our Legal Education page.