3 Tips to Help Lawyers Survive the Summer Heat Wave

With the heat wave sweeping the country right now, you might be wondering: How can an attorney beat the heat in triple digit temperatures?

The best solution may to be turn to tactics your Southern (and prepster) colleagues have been employing for years: summer dressing.

1. Business Casual Summers. If you're not appearing before a judge or meeting an important client, do you really need to wear a suit? While we certainly appreciate commitment to formal business attire, your firm may be able to save money on air-conditioning, (and reduce its carbon footprint), by letting people wear less. That doesn't mean you should don your favorite shorts and sandals in the office. (We're talking about Second Circuit practitioners, not Silicon Valley.) Summer dressing for ladies should include a blouse and slacks or a skirt, while gentlemen can opt for a button-down shirt and pants, sans tie.
2. Retire Synthetic Blends. Rayon and poly-blends may not wrinkle, but they also don't breathe. If you normally wearing synthetic fibers, consider swapping them out for silk, cotton, or even summer-weight wool.
3. Turn Prepster. There's a reason every Southerner owns seersucker and linen. Lightweight fabrics that are relatively comfortable in warm weather. (Down in DC, politicians have even been known to bridge the political divide with an annual Seersucker Thursday thanks to the Southern contingency. The tradition, sadly, ended in 2012.) Feel ridiculous wearing a suit made out of material reserved for your Vineyard Vines weekend wear? Then grab a mint julep and practice saying y'all. When the mercury rises, it's more comfortable to be a faux "gent" or "belle" than a sweaty "Yankee."

If you're ready to buy into summer dressing, without spending too much of your wardrobe budget, you're in luck. Retailers are in the process of clearing out spring and summer stock to make way for fall. Whether you shop on Madison Avenue or at a mega-mall, you're bound to find deals within your price point.

Related Resources:

• A First Time for Everything: Supreme Court Summer Reading List (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
• Curtis Mallet Defines 'Business Casual' for its New York Associates (Above the Law)
• 10 Tips to Help a Solo Practitioner Go on Vacation (FindLaw's Strategist)