Should You Wear a Halloween Costume to Law School?
If Halloween happens to fall on a school day, you might be wondering whether you should don your costume all day, or just after class. And while your school may have actual rules on what you can and can't wear as a costume, as a law student, that little voice in your head called self-respect might be stronger than it has ever been before.
If you can keep it PC and not create a commotion or disruption, then dressing up in a law-related costume, or a costume that requires formal attire (think Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Margaret Thatcher, etc...), is a great idea. But be forewarned, professors will question you publicly about your costume, so be prepared to talk about it.
Below, you'll find a couple tips for picking an appropriate costume to wear in the law school classroom.
Pick a Judge, Any "Judge" or a Famous "Lawyer"
Going the judge or famous lawyer route is one of the easiest law related costumes, especially if you saved your graduation robe from high school or college, and you own a professional suit. Pick your favorite judge, either from your case reading, or from TV, or just be the Notorious RBG like you want to be anyway. Also, don't shy away from famous fictional lawyers like Saul Goodman, or My Cousin Vinny.
If your graduation robe wasn't black, you'll either have to dye your old one, or just buy a new one. Also, if you don't already have one, you'll have an excuse to buy yourself a gavel too.
Note: Dress professionally under the robe, at least for the classroom.
Creative Concepts
Depending on what sort of rules your school has, you might be able to actually wear a more creative costume to school. If you need some ideas, you can go on over to Above the Law to search through the years of their annual costume contest. A couple favorites include: Original Intent, Assault and Battery, and Lady Justice. Basically, take a legal concept and try to depict it via a Pictionary style costume.
Go for It ... Carefully
If you are truly a Halloween person and go over-the-top every year, talk to a professor about your plans to gauge whether your costume is a good idea for class, or better saved for the weekend parties. Don't shy away from being you, but keep in mind that law schools are often a professional environment where masks, overly bulky costumes, overly scary or distasteful costumes, or costumes that hide your true identity, can actually land you in some trouble. Most of all, be a reasonable person, just not this reasonable person (because it's already been done).
Related Resources:
- Halloween and Law Firms? Some Things Just Don't Mix (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- 5 Ideas for Supreme Court Halloween Costumes (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- Party Monsters: How to Win Your Office Halloween Party (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)