UK courts are considering whether to ban mandatory wig-wearing for lawyers, amid concerns that the dress code requirement is “culturally insensitive”.
“Following questions from lawyers about wigs and hair discrimination, the Bar Council established a working group to consider court attire in the context of all protected characteristics,” a spokesperson for the Bar Council said in a statement. Bar Council, representing lawyers in England and Wales. statement to The Telegraph. “The conclusions of the working group are currently being discussed with the judiciary within the framework of our regular dialogue on equality and diversity issues.”
Several black lawyers have raised complaints that traditional headdresses discriminate against Afro-Caribbean hair. Although no permanent changes have been decided, judges are reviewing proposals made by the Bar and a decision is expected this autumn at the earliest, the Telegraph reported.
“Senior judges are in active discussions with the Bar regarding the findings of its working group on judicial dress,” a spokesperson for the judiciary also told the newspaper. “We welcome these discussions as part of our ongoing joint work on diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.”
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Legal professionals dressed in ceremonial dress leave Westminster Abbey after the traditional annual service on October 2, 2023, to mark the start of the new legal year. (Andrew Aitchison/In images via Getty Images)
Michael Etienne, a black lawyer with an afro, called mandatory wigs hair discrimination, a form of racism, in 2022, sparking a public debate after he was ordered to wear the headdress or face disciplinary action. Wigs, traditionally made of horsehair, are not required in all courtrooms. They have not been mandatory in family, civil or Supreme Court cases since 2007.
Leslie Thomas KC, a black legal professional from London, told the Telegraph that she believes the required wigs are a “ridiculous disguise” that represents a “culturally insensitive climate” at the Bar.
Judges and members of the King's Council dressed in ceremonial dress leave Westminster Abbey on October 2, 2023, to mark the start of the new legal year. (Andrew Aitchison/In images via Getty Images)
“Wigs should certainly go. There is no place in a modern society for lawyers to dress in 17th-century fashion,” Thomas told the newspaper, suggesting that the judiciary also eliminate other “archaic” court attire, such as such as wing collars, bands and collars.
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He said a dress code requiring only that lawyers wear a black coat with smart business clothes underneath would “bring the profession into the 21st century.”
The start of the legal year in England and Wales is marked with a religious service inside Westminster Abbey on October 2, 2023. (Andrew Aitchison/In images via Getty Images)
Rachel Bale, a mixed-race lawyer with curly afro hair, pointed to religious exemptions that already exist for Sikhs who wear turbans and Muslims who wear headscarves, suggesting to The Telegraph that lawyers should be able to opt out for cultural reasons. . She argued that wigs are often “not fit for purpose” for naturally black hairstyles.
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“Something that is often overlooked in black culture is that your hair is inexplicably important and completely intertwined with your identity,” he told the newspaper.
