I think wearing a dress or tunic top over ankle length or cropped trousers is rather informal – it’s quite “fashion forward” – and would probably be more appropriate in a media/creative industry rather than a conservative corporate office.

I don’t think ankle length trousers are “casual” by nature though (as long as they’re not so tight they look like skinny jeans!), and they’e definitely more formal than calf length capris. I live in London and slim/skinny ankle length trousers (particularly tapered styles) took over the shops this spring and summer – great if you’re tall and skinny, notsomuch if your BMI is a little on the high side and you’re apple or pearshaped (I’m undoubtedly a pear, although I try to claim hourglass since I got boobs with the last couple of dress sizes I gained).

Anyway, I digress…

A lot of these trousers came as part of suits (e.g. http://www.next.co.uk/X5236s7#850681X52) with cropped jackets and looked stylish while still professional. I saw ladies wearing these with slimline shirts tucked in or formal tops that graised the top of the pelvic/hip bone left untucked. Definitely nor with long-lined shirts/bloses untucked except in “budiness caeual offices”. Shoes ranged from ballet flats to all out skyscraper heels… a lot of ladies still need to learn not to wear “club shoes” (and “club makeup) or shoes with a platform over 1.5 inches or a heel over 3 inches to the office.

This is a “classic” suit with ankle length trousers: http://www.marksandspencer.com/Collection-Modern-Slim-Ponte-Trousers/dp/B00D2I45HG?rrClickthru=PDP

Personally I think ballet flats or loafers work well with these trousers if you are slim, a 1or 2 inch heel to elongate the leg looks better if you are carrying a bit of weight because otherwise you can end up looking a bit frumpy and as if your trousers are just ill fitting and too short.

Anyway, that is just MHO.

Kandi

I have such short legs that I wear ankle-length trousers (should I wear them at all? debatable) with one thing only: pointy-toe heels of any height.

In BigLaw, it often depends on the group. If you work in, say, Litigation or Corporate, there are lots of partners and you should be asking at least one every day. But if you work in a specialty group where there are only a few (sometimes just one) partner, asking every day may be pointless. I do agree that once a week is the minimum.

I work in a tiny group. One thing that helped me when I started in 2008 was to pick up work from other groups through non-billables. Take on a ton of pro bono. Ask business development whether there are any client pitches you can help with. Think, what else can you offer? Do you speak other languages? Translate. The work will often be boring and nonlegal, but you will (1) have better raw hours, (2) look like you are really trying, and (3) get exposure to other partners outside your group who may actually need help. Make it known that you will do everything and anything. Once I got staffed in a huge document review that had nothing to do with my area because of a pro bono project. It was really boring, but my hours were awesome those 3 months. The firm did not care that the work was for a different group. That project also made the partners in Litigation realize I existed and spoke another language. It turned into 4 or 5 other big assignments. At least half of my hours that year were for them. And it is not lost work, because those contacts have helped me through my career even when I don’t need work.

If everything fails, having a ton of nonbillable work is better than having no hours at all. Just make it clear that you are doing x because you are slow and think that way you will have a chance to develop some skills in the meantime (business development to get to know clients, research skills, comfortable speaking to clients, etc). At least the partners will see that you are hard-working and resourceful.

Tempting, tempting! Thanks for the heads-up.

This.

Anticipate needs and volunteer to take them on. What cases are they working on? What ‘leg work’ needs to be done? I would not only ask for work, I would look for specific work to ask for. It shows you are engaged in the firm and meeting their goals.

I was just wondering today, before I saw this post, whether I could pull off ankle length. I am going to try these, they may work for you too: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/michael-michael-kors-straight-leg-ponte-knit-pants/3038119?siteId=J84DHJLQkR4-CNMqYWv8hQpwVUGwvoaOdQ