Some lawyers object to, some applaud Casual Friday

Casual Friday isn’t a new concept anymore. Many companies allow employees to dress down on Fridays — even some that might surprise you, such as law firms.

One New York firm, Anderson Kill & Olick, has found a way to raise money for charity and allow its employees to relax on Fridays. For the privilege of wearing jeans on Fridays, Anderson Kill collects $10 from their attorneys, $5 from staff members, and $1 from interns. The money goes to several charities.

I know what you’re thinking: “I bet no one wears jeans, then!” Wrong. Anderson Kill officials say about 50% of their employees wear jeans on Fridays. Since the firm’s “Doing Good With Denium” campaign was launched in July 2008, it’s raised more than $15,000.

Casual attire is a can of worms in the legal profession. Some firms embrace it and insist that it’s better for their clientele, such as West Coast firms dealing with tech companies. Others are aghast at the notion of wearing anything other than power suits.

I think it’s smart, really. In the über dressy legal world, the prospect of wearing jeans once a week must be appealing. (That is, when these employees can. Apparently judges don’t think it’s cool when lawyers show up in court with less than professional attire.) Raising money for charity is never easy, so why not link it to something people want to do anyway?

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Photo by Lori Greig, used under a Creative Commons license.