Basically what the title says. First years should wear white belts, you progress through yellow, red, etc. as you gain seniority. You get a brown belt as counsel, black belt as non equity partner then a black belt with stripes as an equity partner. If you’re Chambers ranked you get a patch indicating what band you are in, which you place on the belt in the spot a belt buckle would go.
There should not be a firm-wide email or LinkedIn post congratulating people on their promotion/progression. There should be a solemn candle-lit ceremony where you scream, break a board and receive the new belt from a stone-faced senior attorney. We should wear these belts over our clothes in public to identify ourselves as attorneys (like doctors and nurses wearing scrubs on the subway).
I think this would be very healing for our profession.