White-shoe firm
White shoe firm is a phrase used to describe leading professional services firms in the United States, particularly firms that have been in existence for more than a century and represent Fortune 500 companies. It typically—but not always—refers to banking, accounting, law, and management consulting firms, especially those based in New York and Boston.
Full Answer
What is a white shoe law firm?
Oct 07, 2020 · The white-shoe firm or, more specifically, the white-shoe law firm, is an old-fashioned term for the most prestigious employers in elite professions. The term originally was used only to refer to law firms but now may be used to describe some investment banking and management consulting firms.
What is a white buck law firm?
Nov 18, 2003 · A "white shoe firm" is an old-fashioned term for the most prestigious, well-established businesses and companies in elite professions. The term originally was used only to …
What is a'white-shoe firm'?
Definition: An old, well-established, and prestigious law firm. Sometimes people use the expression white-shoe firm to describe other institutions that fit this criteria—not only law firms. For example, banking, accounting, finance, etc. Origin of White Shoe Law Firm
Who invented the white shoe firm?
Sep 23, 2021 · When Safire wrote his column, Webster’s New World Dictionary defined “white shoe” as “designating or characteristic of a business company, esp. a law firm or brokerage, in which the partners belong...
What is meant by a white shoe law firm?
A "white shoe firm" is an old-fashioned term for the most prestigious, well-established businesses and companies. White shoe firms are concentrated in certain professions, especially law, banking, and finance.
What does the expression white shoe mean?
White-shoe definition a law firm or brokerage, in which the partners belong almost exclusively to the white, Protestant, upper-class elite and are thought of as being conservative. adjective. 2. 1. (US, slang) A stereotypical Ivy League student.
What is a white shoe brigade?
noun. informal Australian. (especially during the 1980s) wealthy business people of Queensland, typically property developers, perceived as aggressively commercial, vulgarly showy, and politically conservative. 'the white shoe brigade preferred the real-estate speculation model of productivity'
What is silk stocking law firm?
Definition of silk-stocking (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : aristocratic, wealthy a silk-stocking district a silk-stocking law firm. 2 : fashionably dressed a silk-stocking audience. 3 : of or relating to the American Federalist party.
Is Latham and Watkins a white shoe firm?
The fact that even New York-bred – but non-white shoe – firms like Weil Gotshal & Manges had to fight to claim their spots highlights the odds stacked against those from outside the financial metropolis. But Latham & Watkins – like Kirkland & Ellis and a handful of others – has managed it.Dec 5, 2014
What are the black and white shoes from the 50s called?
You are probably imaging wearing the black and white '50s shoes most associated with young girls and teens wearing poodle skirts and young men ripping it up on the dance floor with the new Rock 'n Roll swing. These classic style fifties shoes are often called saddle oxfords or just saddle shoes.Jan 4, 2016
What white sneakers are in style 2020?
The 35 Best White Sneakers to Buy Now and Wear All the Damn TimeNike Air Force 1 '07 Sneakers. Nike. $100 AT NIKE. ... Classic Slip-On Sneaker. Vans. $60 AT NORDSTROM. ... Air Monarch IV Sneaker. Nike. ... Vallely Sneakers. Cariuma. ... Chuck 70 Sneakers. Converse. ... Clifton 8 Sneakers. Hoka One One. ... Soft 7 City Sneakers. Ecco. ... Royale Sneakers. Greats.More items...•Mar 21, 2022
What are white bucks?
Named for their nubuck leather construction—a buffed calfskin that has the velvety texture of suede but the hardiness of standard leather—white bucks were once an Ivy League staple, favored by 1950s college kids and rocked by doo-woppers like Pat Boone (also known as “The Kid in the White Bucks”).Aug 6, 2020
Does vinegar clean white shoes?
Dip your soft cloth in white vinegar and very gently rub any remaining stains. Once you've done that, you'll want to allow your shoes to dry and then rub the outside of each shoe with a suede brush. This will help them get that velvety texture back.Mar 9, 2022
Is Paul Weiss a white shoe firm?
King & Spalding. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel. O'Melveny & Myers. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
What is the most prestigious law firm in New York?
#1. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. SCORE 9.149. ... #2. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. SCORE 9.113. ... #3. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. SCORE 8.654. ... #4. Skadden. SCORE 8.631. ... #5. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. SCORE 8.572. ... #6. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. SCORE 8.198. ... #7. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. SCORE 8.093. ... #8. Kirkland & Ellis.More items...
What is a white-shoe boy?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines white-shoe as ''slang (chiefly U.S.), effeminate, immature,'' but those great lexicographers just don't get it on this one. The word is better defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as ''designating or characteristic of a business company, esp.Nov 9, 1997
What Is a White Shoe Firm?
A "white shoe firm" is an old-fashioned term for the most prestigious, well-established businesses and companies in elite professions. The term originally was used only to refer to legal practices—"white-shoe law firm" was a common variation—but now may be used to describe those in other fields, such as investment banking and management consulting.
Understanding a White Shoe Firm
The term "white shoe firm" is believed to have originated in reference to a preppy style of footwear: white buck shoes, specifically oxfords.
Negative Connotations of a White Shoe Firm
While it connotes a well-established, well-regarded company, the term "white shoe firm" once had negative connotations, as well. Some people felt that white-shoe firms were the exclusive preserve of the East Coast WASP elite and no one else need apply.
White Shoe Firms Today
Today, a white-shoe firm can be almost any company that's been in business a long time and looms large, both in literal size and as a leader in its field. The term implies quality, stability, and longevity. What blue-chip companies are to stocks, white-shoe firms are to business.
White Shoe Firm FAQs
A silk stocking law firm is often based in a large city and itself is quite large, like a company with hundreds of attorneys. Catering to a well-to-do or "silk stocking" clientele, it often charges high fees. It pays big salaries but also expects a lot of billable hours from staffers, who are often graduates of top law schools.
United States
The phrase derives from " white bucks ", laced suede or buckskin shoes with a red sole, long popular among the student body of Ivy League colleges.
Australia
A similar term in Australia, "white shoe brigade", has been used in the past to describe a group of Queensland property developers who backed, and benefitted from, former Queensland State Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
See also
Big Three law firms, an informal term for leading law firms in New Zealand.
External links
Chambliss, Elizabeth (September–October 2005). "Terms of Art". Legal Affairs.
Origin of White Shoe Law Firm
This expression comes from the white buckskin shoes that students wore at Ivy League schools. Those students often went on to get good jobs in the best law firms. It originated around the 1950s.
Examples of White Shoe Law Firm
In this dialogue, two employees are discussing the possibility of a job change.
More Examples
This excerpt uses the expression in an excerpt about lawyers working with the video game industry.
Summary
A white-shoe firm is a highly respected, professional institution that usually has existed for over a hundred years and is very profitable.
How To Look Like A Respectable Lawyer
This guide is about what to wear at the office, when you meet clients and what to wear in court. If you want to learn how to dress for a job interview as a lawyer, please check out this guide. Of course, if you work in environmental law, or if you have a lot of musicians or artists as your clients, your dress code will be more relaxed.
The Suit – Dark Solids Are Your Friend
A suit is the hallmark of a lawyer’s wardrobe. An ideal suit would be a single-breasted one, with a notched lapel. Ideally, you have some cuffs at the bottom or you can go without a cuff, maybe you want pleats, maybe you just want an iron crease.
Neckwear – Classic Ties Are Best
As an attorney, you want to wear neckwear. Traditionally, it’s a necktie. I would stay clear of bow ties because they’re a little too flashy. Of course, you should choose the right tie. So forget all the nineties and the hand-me-downs from your uncles because they look very dated and not professional.
Over The Calf Socks Are A Must Have
No attorneys outfit is complete without proper over the calf socks. A lot of lawyers out there wear short socks that expose their calf. Not only is it unprofessional, but nobody wants to see your exposed leg hair. The golden rule is to pair the color of the socks with a pair of your pants and your suit.
Accessories – Keep It Simple
With accessories, the same rule applies as with all other things in a lawyer’s outfit. Keep it simple. If you wear a French cuff or double cuff shirt, go with simple cufflinks in gold or silver. Stay clear of precious stones, maybe semi precious stones, in multiple colors as well as enamel. It’s simply over the top.
Dress Shoes – Start With A Black Captoe Oxford
When it comes to shoes I think most lawyers underestimate their impact. You can have a $5,000 bespoke suit but if you wear it with cheap shoes, it ruins the entire look. Apart from oxfords and derbies, you may also want to invest in a monk strap shoe or maybe a double monk strap shoe.
CONCLUSION
Bear in mind, this guide provides general guidelines; ideally, you want to talk to your secretary and ask her what’s appropriate or simply look around you at the office. What are the other people wearing and especially what is your supervisor wearing? That will give you a good indicator of what’s expected of you.
Overview
A white-shoe firm is a term that is used to describe prestigious professional services firms that have traditionally been associated with those who graduated from Ivy League colleges. The term is most often used to describe leading law firms and Wall Street financial institutions, as well as accounting firms that are over a century old, typically in New York City and Boston.
Former Wall Street attorney John Oller, author of White Shoe, credits Paul Drennan Cravathwith cr…
Etymology
The phrase derives from "white bucks", laced suede or buckskin (or Nubuck) shoes, usually with a red sole, long popular among the student body of Ivy League colleges. A 1953 Esquire article, describing social strata at Yale University, explained that "White Shoe applies primarily to the socially ambitious and the socially smug types who affect a good deal of worldly sophistication, run, ride and drink in rather small cliques, and look in on the second halves of football games wh…
Usage
The term originated in the Ivy League colleges and originally reflected a stereotype of old-line firms populated by White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs). The term historically had antisemitic connotations, as many of the New York firms known as "white shoe" were considered off-limits to Jews until the 1960s. The phrase has since lost some of this connotation, but is still defined by Princeton University's WordNetas "denoting a company or law firm owned and run by members o…
Examples
The following U.S. firms are often referred to as being white-shoe firms:
The current Big Four accounting firms and the former Big Eight auditors from which they merged:
• Deloitte (merged from Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Touche Ross)
• Ernst & Young (merged from Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young)
Equivalent law firms outside the United States
Australia Big Six. In 2012, three of these firms merged with overseas firms, and one other began operating in association with an overseas firm. As a consequence, it has proposed that the term is no longer applicable to the Australian legal profession, displaced by the concept of Global Elite law firms or International Business law firms. Canada (Toronto) Seven Sisters China (People's Republic) Red Circle, coined by The Lawyer magazine in 2014. Japan Big Four New Zealand Big …
Further reading
• Oller, John, White Shoe: How a New Breed of Wall Street Lawyers Changed Big Business--and the American Century
• Wald, Eli, "The rise and fall of the WASP and Jewish law firms." Stanford Law Review 60 (2007): 1803-1866 online
External links
• Chambliss, Elizabeth (September–October 2005). "Terms of Art". Legal Affairs.
• Lin, Anthony (May 16, 2006). "Can the 'Jewish Law Firm' Success Story Be Duplicated?". New York Law Journal.
1. ^ Oller, John (March 19, 2019). White Shoe: How a New Breed of Wall Street Lawyers Changed Big Business and the American Century. Penguin. ISBN 9781524743277 – via Google Books.
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