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Why The Longhair Lawyer

On the third floor of the Gonzaga University School of Law there is a balcony with a small patio overlooking the Spokane River and the regionally renowned Centennial Trail. As the school year begins and the weather grows cold, the patio is almost always empty. I often donned a jacket in between classes and sat there to do my reading.

One day, while I was reading god-knows-what about something that happened a long time ago, two middle-aged men came walking by. Looking at the law school, one said to the other, “Great … more lawyers, just what we need right now!” I looked up in time to see them shaking their heads and chuckling their way out of sight. I chuckled too.

Ask your average person what comes to mind when they hear the word “lawyer.” Do they see a fuddy-duddy old man in a cheap suit, chasing down an ambulance while his client’s money flies out of the briefcase at his side? Do they see a pompous, pretentious blood-sucking parasite in a fancy suit, with a fancy watch, in a fancy car, yelling at their paralegal through their fancy phone?

Mr. Fuddy Duddy and Mr. Parasite are the faces of the legal industry and – let’s face it – there’s a basis for those stereotypes. To many people, an attorney is someone who cannot be trusted or afforded. That needs to change, both in public perception and in reality.

I believe the legal industry can change – I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t – but, if lawyers are going to earn back the public’s trust, they need to ditch their fancy suits and start acting like real people. The practice of law isn’t about dressing like a prince or talking like an ***hole. It’s about helping people manage the risk in their lives and plan for their futures.

When I decided to start my own law practice, I knew it would be centered on helping people manage their businesses and their lives. I also knew I needed to separate myself from the image of elitism and greed that is projected onto all lawyers. I began to think about the ways in which I, personally, didn’t fit the image.

Over the past few years, I lost count of the number of people who’ve expressed great surprise that my long hair didn’t prevent me from attending law school, graduating, getting a job, passing the bar, or being admitted as an attorney.

I chose to name my practice The Longhair Lawyer because I want the world to realize being a lawyer isn’t about dressing the part or talking louder than the next guy. It’s about being kind, authentic, and approachable.

Only after I chose the name did I learn that, according to the dictionary, “longhair” also means “hippie” and “an impractical intellectual.” I can’t think of a term that would better describe some of my favorite people in the world.        

A new generation of lawyers is on the rise and together we will change the legal industry for the better. Lawyer jokes aren’t going away – because they’re hilarious – but … maybe someday in the distant future, the same two men, old and withered, will walk past my old law school without cracking the same joke … or at least meaning it so literally.

– Tyler O’Brien –

January 2023