*/
Shelley White sets out the revised guidance on court attire.
Of the many issues of import which have faced the Bar over the last 18 months the question of court dress has perhaps received disproportionate attention.
In July 2007, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, then Lord Chief Justice, announced that civil judges would swap traditional court dress for a continental style gown. He then sought the views of the Bar regarding court attire.
The extensive consultation by the Bar Council, which included inviting the views of every barrister in the country, illustrated the great variety and strength of feeling on the topic. The overwhelming majority responded in favour of retaining traditional court dress and it is following the Bar’s wish to retain the status quo that the Revised Guidance on Court Dress was issued by Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar on 2 June 2009 (for further information visit:
www.barcouncil.org.uk/assets/documents/Court%20Dress20020609.pdf).
Need for certainty
Despite efforts to keep revision to a minimum there will inevitably be some changes. In some cases there was no established practice prior to the guidance being issued; whether hearings were robed or not simply depended on the views of the particular judge. In light of that, it was an overwhelming theme of barristers’ responses that they wanted clarity as to what to wear. The Revised Guidance is therefore intended to provide real benefit of certainty.
Any new guidance takes time to settle in, however should there be any continuing concerns, please send them to janbye@barcouncil.org.uk and they will be passed to the relevant Committee for consideration.
Please note: there may be minor adjustments to the Revised Guidance and they will be posted on the Bar Council website: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Shelley White is a barrister at New Square Chambers and a member of the Bar Council’s Legal Services Committee and Young Bar Committee.
Of the many issues of import which have faced the Bar over the last 18 months the question of court dress has perhaps received disproportionate attention.
In July 2007, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, then Lord Chief Justice, announced that civil judges would swap traditional court dress for a continental style gown. He then sought the views of the Bar regarding court attire.
The extensive consultation by the Bar Council, which included inviting the views of every barrister in the country, illustrated the great variety and strength of feeling on the topic. The overwhelming majority responded in favour of retaining traditional court dress and it is following the Bar’s wish to retain the status quo that the Revised Guidance on Court Dress was issued by Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar on 2 June 2009 (for further information visit:
www.barcouncil.org.uk/assets/documents/Court%20Dress20020609.pdf).
Need for certainty
Despite efforts to keep revision to a minimum there will inevitably be some changes. In some cases there was no established practice prior to the guidance being issued; whether hearings were robed or not simply depended on the views of the particular judge. In light of that, it was an overwhelming theme of barristers’ responses that they wanted clarity as to what to wear. The Revised Guidance is therefore intended to provide real benefit of certainty.
Any new guidance takes time to settle in, however should there be any continuing concerns, please send them to janbye@barcouncil.org.uk and they will be passed to the relevant Committee for consideration.
Please note: there may be minor adjustments to the Revised Guidance and they will be posted on the Bar Council website: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Shelley White is a barrister at New Square Chambers and a member of the Bar Council’s Legal Services Committee and Young Bar Committee.
Shelley White sets out the revised guidance on court attire.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
By Kem Kemal, CEO, Henry Dannell
By BSK Financial Planning
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs
Susie Griffin on the admin that keeps barristers from billable work
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Kick off your career at the Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair this October – it’s one of the most valuable opportunities for aspiring barristers, says Amelia Clegg
Join us on Saturday 21 November 2026 at Leeds Beckett University and see for yourself why the North continues to be an exceptional place to build a career at the Bar
The golden age of advocacy? David Langwallner pays homage to the filmic if contentious barrister Sir Edward Carson and some of his contemporaries
Henry Fingerhut outlines what the Bar Standards Board AI guidance means for early career barristers
Not yet, says Jacob Turner. Regulation, unlike the technology itself, is a domain the legal profession can still control
