I'm volunteering at the NYC Family Justice Center, Mayor Bloomberg's initiative to combat domestic violence. Essentially it's a one-stop shop for women who need services, from emergency shelter to legal advice...and everything else in between.
Anyway, I bring that up because their offices are adjacent to the criminal courthouse in Queens. I walk over there often and one thing always baffles me. You see a lot of black and brown young men (not surprising since they're the majority in prisons) going in front of the judge wearing do-rags, jeans down to their knees and hoodies.
What's up with that? Do these guys just not have any common sense? To the defense attorneys out there, do you ever tell your clients to wear something less stereotypical and more presentable? I'm all for expressing yourself through fashion, but there's a time and a place for everything. First impressions are important (whether we like it or not) and looking a mess just works against you. I think the judge and jurors will assume certain things by one's apparel, whether you're innocent or guilty. It may not be fair...but it's how it goes.
Well unfortunately Glo that these lawyers get these cases right before they go up to the judge. When you can't afford a lawyer these public deffenders are not well acquainted with their clients. If you talk about the high powered cases then they do have the relationship needed to tell their clients the do's and don't of going to trial.
Posted by: B. Margarita Ramirez | Aug 28, 2009 at 03:40 PM