BigLaw Email Bans Short Skirts and Stiletto Heels, Asks Women to Please Brush Their Hair
Reportedly horrified by the sight of a number of female trainees showing too much leg and looking like they were ready for a night of “clubbing” rather than a day at the office as the weather warmed up, one of the United Kingdom’s renowned magic-circle legal partnerships has laid down the law.
In an email circulated to 105 would-be solicitors, Allen & Overy tells them they need to lower their hemlines and their heels or face the prospect of “uncomfortable discussions,” reports the Telegraph.
Citing “numerous complaints” to human resources about the way female trainees have been dressed at work, the email explains that “the main problem seems to be very short skirts and high heels and generally looking like we’re going clubbing instead of to the office.” Some also need to make sure they brush their hair, the communication notes.
Roll on Friday provides the text of the email, as well as a comment from the firm:
A spokesman says “the sartorial elegance of A&O’s trainees has been well known for many years. However, it seemed a good idea to suggest the gentle application of a little common sense when deciding what to wear to work in the morning as we want our clients to remember what they say not what they wear.”
Hat tip: Daily Mail.
