Law school dress code raises bar on bras
LONDON • Female law students at a London university have been told they will lose points in their exams if their skirts are too short or their bras are on show.
Guidance given to students taking the bar professional training course at BPP University sets out a schedule of point deductions for infringements including “too much shirt undone,” “short skirts (women)” and “colourful socks (men).”
The list of “offences of professional conduct” itemizes the point penalties for students if they are not properly dressed during their advocacy assessment, a mock court situation that tests their knowledge of legal process and courtroom terms and behaviour.
Colourful socks lose a male law student a point, while wearing a skirt above the knee would cost a female two points, according to the list, which is given to students as part of an advocacy manual.
The most costly infringement is for a female trainee whose bra is showing, resulting in the loss of three points, as would wearing boots with a short skirt. This outfit is “an inappropriate combination for court,” the guidance, leaked to the blog Legal Cheek, adds.
The university is not the only one to warn students they could be penalized for their dress. The University of the West of England’s guidance says trainee barristers could lose two points for “unkempt hair” and five points for wearing trainers.
Dana Denis-Smith, the founder of the First 100 Years project, that highlights women’s achievements in law, said the BPP guidance showed how “prescriptive” the legal profession is.
“I still know women barristers who wouldn’t dare to go to court without wearing a skirt, even though we’ve had about 30 years of women being allowed to wear trousers. This whole courtroom environment remains quite old-fashioned,” she said.
In one London law firm, she said, she knew of guidelines in the past for women dictating the colour of their tights, limiting them to thin beige styles and forbidding them from wearing thick opaque tights.
“I don’t think it’s just the legal profession, I think it’s an issue around the professions,” she said. “What is the image of being ‘professional’? That needs to be redefined, but nobody is redefining it at the moment.”
But, she added, the restrictions for men were equally limiting. “I felt equally bad about the men — I was thinking ‘wow you really are over the top,’” she added. “I think it’s meant to be almost more restrictive to drum home the point that justice is important, you’ve got to take it seriously.”
A spokesman for the school said the list was “indicative guidance only to the sort of dress and behaviour that could adversely affect the advocate in court.”