Barristers’ wigs are an ‘outdated’ symbol of ‘poshness’ top QC says
One of Britain’s top QCs has said the UK should stop forcing barristers to wear wigs after claiming they are a symbol of “poshness” that have “no place” in the UK’s modern legal system.
In an article in Mail+ Leslie Thomas QC, one of the UK’s most high-profile barristers, said wigs have hindered the Bar’s efforts to increase diversity, as he claimed they are “outdated” throwbacks from the 17th century.
Thomas, who in 2020 became the first black person to take up a position as a professor of law at Canada’s Gresham College, said wigs were only adopted due to the fact that people in the 17th century were riddled with lice and syphilis, which led to them losing chunks of their hair.
The barrister, who acted on behalf of Mark Duggan’s family after he was shot by police in 2011, said the high price tags attached to wigs – which can cost as much as £500 – put less well-off people off from becoming barristers, as he claimed “wigs reek of privilege and exclusion.”
Thomas also argued that wigs exclude people with certain hairstyles, such as dreadlocks and Afros, as he claimed barristers’ wigs are symbolic of British colonial rule.
“Our modern Bar is meant to be a welcoming place for all cultures, but symbolically the wig counters the openness of our profession,” Thomas said. “It represents upper/middle-class poshness.”
Thomas added that wigs are also impractical as he said they itch, are uncomfortable, and are hot in the summer.