News
Plans to reform judicial court working dress in England and Wales have been announced by the lord chief justice, Lord Phillips.
From 1 January 2008, wigs, wing collars and bands will become a thing of the past for judges sitting in open court in civil and family proceedings. Phillips has made it clear that he expects barristers to throw off such accoutrements too.
The Bar Council immediately launched a consultation among its members. Bar chairman, Geoffrey Vos QC, warns that court dress has always been a sensitive matter, upon which there are “widely divergent views”.
In the criminal courts, barristers and judges will be allowed to keep their trimmings, although High Court judges will be restricted to a single set of robes—those they currently wear in winter—for criminal proceedings throughout the year.
In civil and family proceedings, the circuit bench will continue to wear the same gown while all other judges will wear a new, simple, gown which is currently being designed.
Phillips says that, although the one-off cost of the new civil gown will be around £200,000, the move will save about £300,000 a year thereafter.
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