Asking for a friend: is blue/pink/green etc. hair ok for clinic work?

[Garfield]

Hi, asking for a friend who will be doing clinic work this year: is it okay for him to have blue/pink/green etc. hair? Or will he likely be asked to re-dye his hair to a more conservative colour?

[TobyFlenderson]

I would be more concerned about finding an articling position with unusual hair than what the clinic will think.

I don’t expect a clinic will formally ask him to re-dye his hair, although lawyers supervising the clinic may comment on it.

I think it’s possible, if not probable, that interviewers will think about the colour of his hair when considering whether to offer him a job, though. Not that I necessarily agree with it, but it is a concern I would have in his position.

[BlockedQuebecois]

I’m not an employment lawyer and don’t play one on the internet, but it’s not clear to me that a clinic could legally tell someone to dye their hair, particularly without a written policy on the matter. 

But I agree with @TobyFlendersonand would add that there could be reputational harms with lawyers at the clinic, in addition to the problem of finding articles. 

[Conge]

No one will (should) as him to re-dye his hair. However, rightly or wrongly, technicolour hair is seen as unprofessional.

I think he either just needs to own it and recognize some people will hold it against him and be willing to accept it might impact job prospects (or even the way judges see him), or change his appearance to avoid the risk.

 

[Pendragon]

I worked at a clinic in law school and the clients at least will not take you seriously or be comfortable with it. At least for this, I do not recommend it. After all, one of the purposes of working at a clinic is to learn how to engage with clients, right? As a lawyer you will have to learn to be professional and serve your clients in the manner that they find comfortable. I would start with this in law school.

[Healthygarden]

 

On 8/25/2021 at 2:51 PM, Conge said:

No one will (should) as him to re-dye his hair. However, rightly or wrongly, technicolour hair is seen as unprofessional.

I think he either just needs to own it and recognize some people will hold it against him and be willing to accept it might impact job prospects (or even the way judges see him), or change his appearance to avoid the risk.

 

I agree w this post. It also depends on which legal aid clinic since each would have their own work culture.

Purely anecdotal, but i know a few lawyers (one doing clinic work) who has their hair dyed non-conventional colours.

One lawyer (non clinic) said she built up her reputation before she felt comfortable doing multiple colours (she had purp and green hair) BUT that she had her hair dark blue when applying.

All in all -- i have no idea. I'm a big believer of choosing how you self-express (gender/makeup etc) and Im critical of how professionalism in the legal profession is almost classist in nature.

Ultimately, your friend will have to decide if he's willing to temper, even if only briefly, his self-expression for a job.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Healthygarden

[Phaedrus]

It depends on the clinic. In my experience, dyed hair isn't a problem at legal aid clinics. That said, your friend will want to make sure their hair is maintained and clean. 

If it's a criminal law clinic, working with the Crown, having dyed hair might be an issue. Especially so if it's a corporate setting. I'd be prepared to hear a lot of "thank you for your interest and for interviewing, however ... it was a very competitive application cohort this year" etc.

Again, different practice areas and firms will have different expectations and positions on superficialities. In any event, it's about being clean and not looking like you've just rolled out of bed and happened to have slept in your courtroom/office attire.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Phaedrus

[Aureliuse]

In practice, you should be mindful of your self-expression not only from your fellow professionals and the bench, but also from clients. I personally don't mind non-conventional hair colors, piercing, tattoos, hair styles from opposing counsel or from clients. However, be mindful that we are a client-service industry.

In family law, I often work with minorities who come from conservative cultures. They have a certain expectation of lawyers - how we dress, how we speak, how we act etc. The initial impression and continuing solicitor-client relationship can be affected by your choices of self-expression.

I don't know how clients might interpret non-conventional hair colors in meetings.  I would say "let your clients focus on the work you do and services you perform" and not any personal characteristics.

[artsydork]

Is there an office manager at the clinic? Touch base with them. I had a few frank conversations with the office manager at the clinic I worked at about dress code (too formal vs too casual, gay-isms, office decorations, etc.) 

The answer will always be "it depends". As other posters note, it's ultimately about our clients and their comfort. Some will be a lot more comfortable with you and others might make assumptions - @Aureliuse is spot on that we are a client-service industry. It's always a balance. 

 

[Conge]

On 8/30/2021 at 2:42 PM, artsydork said:

gay-isms

Genuinely curious what means in context of having a discussion with office manager about dress code. 

[artsydork]

57 minutes ago, Conge said:

Genuinely curious what means in context of having a discussion with office manager about dress code. 

Poorly worded - Office decorations + gay-isms talks occurred with office manager in separate conversation than the dress code with office manager. The dress code talk came after I showed up in full suit and she smiled and told me to take off my tie and jacket. Though for dress code, it also included conversations about wearing colours and patterns and perceptions of what is "professional". Been rocking my patterned shirts + ties since.

 I brought up the gay-ism convo attempting to navigate the professional world while queer as I was trying to balance being me, maintaining what I perceived to be "professional" (aka, tone policing and dress) what client perceptions are vs what I believe client perceptions to be, etc.