Young lawyers advised how to dress for success

By Markus Mannheim

HOW do leaders park their cars? And when they mix with country folk, what should they wear? The sober young lawyers at the Attorney-General’s Department may well be pondering these tough questions as they drive to work this week. In the latest issue of Up Front, the Department’s occasional internal newsletter, secretary Robert Cornall provided his staff with a range of helpful pointers to prime them for bureaucratic success. In an article titled How does a leader look?,Mr Cornall warned staff to pay close attention to how they are perceived — no matter how small the detail.

‘‘[It’s] not just what you say but how you dress, how you look, your mood in the lift, even how you park the car,’’ he wrote, quoting the chief executive officer of National Mutual, Geoff Tomlinson. ‘‘Look at the attention political leaders pay to the way they dress. Prime Minister [John] Howard knows the value of an Akubra in rural Australia and the need for an open-necked shirt in a country pub.’’

Like their minister, Philip Ruddock, staff at the Attorney-General’s office have a reputation in public service circles for dressing conservatively. Perhaps to polish this image, Mr Cornall added some useful dressing tips for male staff — though sartorial advice for female leadership prospects was strangely omitted.

‘‘For men, avoid wearing a dark suit with a dark shirt and a dull tie . . . A white shirt and a light-coloured tie photograph better with a dark suit.’’

Whoever said lawyers were no fun?

(Source: The Canberra Times)