I read the article by Laura McClinton Dress codes in the workplace – a fashion faux pas or a necessity? with interest.

She makes some helpful comments on the legal status of dress codes, but I was surprised that she says little specifically about the declining standards of business dress that seem to have emerged in the legal profession over the two years of lockdown, with most meetings taking place virtually.

I have been surprised that many lawyers – when working from home – seem to have adopted extremely casual standards of dress, even for online meetings with clients or when giving presentations at online conferences. However, if a gender-based comment is permitted, I often find that most of the women in online meetings wear something close to office business dress but only a few of the men do so.

My own approach is always to dress in a similar basis for an online meeting as I would for a meeting in person – so I almost always wear a shirt and tie when meeting clients, which was my approach before the pandemic. But I feel I may be classed as a dinosaur!

However, as we return to more in-person meetings (or, in some cases, to hybrid meetings with some participants in their offices and others attending from home) I feel a whole new dress etiquette is needed. Are lawyers switching back to smart business attire, or has a more casual dress code now become permanent? Is climate change and the rising cost of fuel affecting this as we seek to avoid over-heating our homes? Maybe Scottish Legal News can offer guidance?

Gareth Morgan