Open in case of emergency

Every now and then it happens. It happened last Monday, it happened yesterday. I seem especially vulnerable at the start of the week. I arrive at work, get to my desk and realisation strikes.

Oh no, I can’t have … I have …

Then it’s just a matter of desperate fumbling and trusting to my contingency planning.

I’ll back up.

Most law firms now have “casual Friday”, which means women can wear almost whatever the heck they want (provided they paid too much for it) and men can wear tan slacks, a blue collared shirt and polished shoes (regardless of how little they paid for it).

My present workplace has a simpler policy: if you’re not in Court, there’s no need to wear a suit.

Well, not so much a policy. More a collective, unstated act of civil disobedience that has become a convention.

This is great. Except sometimes it’s easy to forget you’re going to be in court.

Seriously.

Late week before last a five day trial settled at the eleventh hour: no need to sit in court listening to barristers for a full working week. (The novelty of this can wear off quickly. A day in court as a solicitor is the equivalent of having a 2.5 hour meeting before and after lunch, where all you get to do is listen, frantically take notes and pass documents to and fro occasionally. Also "trial", in my experience, seldom means exciting criminal work or people yelling: "You can't handle the truth!")

So I rock up to work last Monday casually dressed, having forgotten - in my relief at getting out of a five day hearing - a ten minute directions hearing scheduled for 10.15 am.

Similar deal yesterday.

What does a young lawyer do in such a situation, panicky, casually dressed and due in court? He reaches for his Emergency Suit.

Obviously.

My oldest suit lives in a cupboard near my desk along with three ties. Even on casual days I always wear a shirt with collar and business shoes. This has saved my bacon more often than I’d like to admit.

It’s changing in the men’s room that strips an otherwise brilliant back-up plan of some of its flair and dignity …

Emergency Pants, anyone? You never know when Evil may strike.

PS Thanks Marcus - I feel better informed about our team now.