Trainee barristers marked down for wearing ‘short skirts’ or ‘kinky boots’

Trainee barristers are being warned that they face being marked down in their exams if they wear short skirts or “kinky boots”.

An advice handbook given to students on the training course at BPP University details penalty points that can be applied for offences such as showing too much leg during their advocacy assessment - a mock court situation.

The list, leaked by blog Legal Cheek, warns that flashing excess flesh could amount to an “offence of professional conduct”. Female trainees may lose two points for wearing a skirt above the knee, while male students may lose a point for wearing colourful socks, the document says.

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“The most costly infringement is for a female trainee whose bra is showing, which would result in the loss of three points, as would wearing boots with a short skirt,” The Daily Telegraph reports.

“Shirts should be predominantly done UP,” the BPP guidelines emphasise. “Cleavage should not be on show.”

A spokesperson for the London-based university said that the list was “indicative guidance only to the sort of dress and behaviour which could adversely affect the advocate in court, and could, therefore, be penalised in a BPP assessment”.

“Our students dress conservatively and smartly for their advocacy classes and indeed for the assessment, and this is good preparation for practice,” the spokesperson added.

“It is exceptionally rare that any student is ever penalised in an assessment for any of the infringements listed. The list has not been revised for a long time, and will be reconsidered before the next publication.”