Quinn Emanuel Associates Sport Shorts, Flip Flops, Ragged Jeans
Quinn Emanuel's dress code is probably the envy of all suit-loathing associates everywhere.
William Urquhart, one of the founding partners of the firm says that nearly everything goes at the firm: T-shirts, jeans with raggedy edges, and everything else in between. Though, probably not lingerie. Or swimwear.
Let's face it, being a stickler for proper dress code can just be a pain. Walking to court or sitting around the office in stuffy business casual - or even at some places - full on suits - is probably uncomfortable. Sweating in a suit? Gross.
So, really - what attorney doesn't imagine they could spend the entire day wearing nice and comfortable jeans and T-shirts?
Most employees at least spend a little bit of time analyzing the company's dress code. And, more often than not, they end up having to suppress their creative side by wearing something drab, conservative, and let's face it - kind of ugly.
Quinn Emanuel's dress code takes into account the tried and true hypothesis that if you free one's wardrobe, you'll free their mind, promoting attorneys to be the zealous "artists" they really are, painting their canvas of motions and briefs with legal creativity.
At least, that's what Quinn Emanuel says. The truth is, as a client, would you be more comfortable hiring an attorney or a firm for hundreds of dollars an hour if their associates are wearing a pair of raggedy jeans and flip flops? Or would you rather trust some polished, sleek shark in a suit?
Undoubtedly, Quinn Emanuel's dress code is certainly liberating for associates. And, there's nothing that really goes against their idea that if you let someone wear whatever they want to work, they can be more productive. But like most things in life, you can't have it both ways - and maintaining a public image for those more conservative clients may be something other firms aspire more to.
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