Faux Pas Moments
We’ve all had them. That moment when you said the wrong thing, wore the wrong thing, got drunk at the wrong time, and now, you are no longer seen as a colleague by the attorneys, but as “staff,” or, in my case, a “honey” or a “chick.”
There’s a great article on professionals (primarily women) and dress in the WSJ.
“If my attorney bills out at $1,000 an hour, I want them to look like a lawyer, not a celebrity,” says Jonathan Fitzgarrald, director of marketing for Greenberg Glusker, a Los Angeles law firm.
It’s not just a matter of image; sometimes, there can be real trouble. Lisa Goldstein, an attorney and founder of consulting firm Rainmaker Trainers in Philadelphia, says that during a client dinner with spouses, a head of a law firm was propositioned by her male client and his wife. The client “suggested that they swing together,” says Ms. Goldstein, who was informally consulted on how to recover the professional-client relationship. The lawyer felt that her revealing evening dress had set the wrong tone, sending “signals that were misinterpreted,” says Ms. Goldstein.
Have you had a faux pas moment? If so, how’d you overcome it?
Here’s mine: Prior to joining the legal industry, I was a lobbyist for a non-profit organization (basically, paid crap wages, but I got to do a lot of cool stuff that a 28-year old should never do).I was sitting across the table from some California State Senator trying to persuade him to sign onto my bill, and realized that he was trying to look up my skirt. He didn’t hear a word I said, that ol’ dog. From that day on, I have always worn skirts below my knee (at work). I also wore my glasses and not contacts, kept my hair pulled back and controlled.