Earrings for Male Lawyers May Be ‘Fraught With Peril,’ Career Adviser Says (Poll)

Should male lawyers and law students in courthouses refrain from wearing earrings? A career adviser from the University of Minnesota Law School is advising caution.

“In the same way that women still must be careful about very short skirts, and in some courts they may still find that pants are frowned on by senior judges, guys and their earrings may still be fraught with peril,” writes Susan Gainen, director of the law school’s career and professional development center. She wrote on the Career and Professional Development Blog in response to a judicial extern who said a male clerk had assured him that earrings were acceptable.

“Your judge may not mind,” says Gainen, “but your peril may lie with clients and juries, two groups whose opinions you value but cannot survey in advance.”

There is no word from Gainen on nose rings or tattoos.