Interview Horror Stories: Wait ‘Til You Have the Offer Before Busting Out the Piercings
Over the years, law firms have become more relaxed about the attire and appearance of their associates. But there are limits. From the National Law Journal:
“It’s really hard,” said [hiring partner Matthew] Jones, with Duane Morris. He recently interviewed 18 University of Virginia School of Law students in about six hours. He had 15 minutes to eat lunch.Still, sometimes making a decision is not too difficult. “I had someone come into an interview with a nose ring,” Jones said. “I liked her, but how could I present her to a senior partner?”
To paraphrase Alicia Silverstone in Clueless: “Dee, when you have a Biglaw interview, take out your nose ring.”
(Query: Should the NALP promulgate a rule protecting job applicants with noserings?)
National Firms Digging Deeper Into Class Ranks and on New Campuses Too [NYLawyer.com]
Memorable Quotes from Clueless [IMDb]
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No, people with nose rings are not a protected class (unless of course it serves some religious purpose). We have to maintain a high standard of professionalism. The proper query shouldn't have been "how could I present her to a senior partner" but "how could I present her to a client".
The proper query should have been, "how can I save this person from the horrible mistake they are in the process of making."
Somone with a nose ring is not going to be happy at a law firm.
I;d like to think that you are wrong. I am a first year law student . . . and I have a nose ring :)
No, the proper query is "how could I turn down someone otherwise qualified on such a silly issue". As a client, I really don't care if my attorney has a nose ring or not, so long as he or she can represent me competently. Heck, I might even have a bit of *positive* sentiment towards an attorney cool enough to have a nose ring!
Grow up, people. It's not 1950 anymore.
Would you also want a lawer wearing ripped up jeans while representing you to the judge?