Clothes Might Make the Man. . . or Woman

This week, I learned a valuable lesson: Don't assume your clients know how to dress for court.

I used to always tell my clients to wear nice slacks, or a dress, or "clothes you might wear to your Grandmother's funeral". I have fallen out of the habit, and that remission bit me on the behind this week. One client came to court in jeans with holes in them, and another -- sad to say -- wore Elmo pajamas and fuzzy black slippers.

Not a good look when you are trying to get your children back.

Learn this lesson with me: Clothes do portray an image. Call the world superficial, but there it is. You are, in part, perceived by what you wear. So make a good impression. Clean, simple clothing. No holes. No blue jeans. No character T-shirts. Anyone can buy decent-looking attire for a few dollars at a thrift store and if you can't iron, find a friend who can.

When the lives of your children are on the line, looking respectable is the least you can do.