While briefcases may be falling out of style in many professional cultures, for lawyers and attorneys a briefcase is as important as your suit and your vocabulary. Every day of your professional career as a lawyer will include carrying legal notes, files, papers, pens and other necessities from court to the police station to your office. You’ll probably also do some legal stuff too.
Your briefcase should reflect your professional style, and your professional style should not include: a backpack, a sloppy messenger bag, or one of those weird nylon laptop bags that we’re pretty sure are given away as freebies at the bank.
Why you shouldn’t use these for lawyerly stuff:
Backpacks
They’re for kids and college students. People are coming to you for legal advice on some of the most important decisions they may have to make in their lives. You lugging around the files for cases that are life-changing in a backpack doesn’t exactly instil a lot of professional trust.
Sloppy messenger bag
Messenger bags are for mailmen, bike messengers and people who don’t like backpacks. They don’t say anything about professionalism and they definitely don’t say lawyer.
Nylon laptop bag
Where do these even come from? Did you buy this? Who buys these things?
These are ugly, boring and generic and they make a sound like a giant cricket when they brush against things. Just don’t do it.
What you should be using instead:
If you’re a more laidback, rugged type of lawyer:
The Filson Original Briefcase
The Filson Original Briefcase is a no nonsense design made with an industrial strength, water resistant twill that will resist wear and tear for years. The adjustable leather strap lets you shoulder or cross-body carry the bag and the large, brass zippers and pulls won’t jam or break when you need it most. It’s affordably priced at $225 and comes in tan, otter green, and brown.
This is a more laidback look, so keep that in mind if you’re going to be working at a very high-end firm or are going to be meeting with clients who might not vibe with this look.
If you’re a no-nonsense lawyer who likes utilitarian style:
The Tumi Ashton “Collins” Briefcase
The Collins briefcase is one of the options in the Ashton Tumi briefcase collection. It has a non-nonsense cut with simple, refined style. A mix of leather and other high-quality materials, the Collins briefcase is perfect for someone who likes a classic style with no frills that gets the job done. It comes with a $1,195 price tag.
For the lawyer who carries everything:
The Saddleback Classic Large Briefcase
This briefcase is a sturdy built beast. It’s 16 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and 9 inches deep, which makes it big enough to hold a couple books, a laptop, and a couple redwell folders. The outside pockets are great for extra pens, business cards, and your keys. It’s full-grain leather, which means it develops a great patina as it ages. It also fastens with buckles, which means there is nothing to break or fall apart. It will cost you about $610.00.