The Wigs
Why do the British lawyers sometimes wear the wigs in the courtroom and other times they do not?
shareCourt dress is worn at hearings in open court in all Senior Courts of England and Wales and in county courts. However, court dress may be dispensed with at the option of the judge, e.g. in very hot weather, and invariably where it may intimidate children, e.g. in the Family Division and at the trials of minors.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_dress#United_Kingdom (SEction on court dress).
In episode 6, when Tom took the stand, he was considered a child and that's why they didn't wear the wigs.
It seems like a strange tradition. Plus them needing lockers for all the garb seems too much.
shareIt kind of equalizes the lawyers if they're wearing the same thing -- like a school uniform. I've been to a hearing where it was neighbours against a corporation. The corporation's lawyers were dressed in very expensive clothes while the lawyer for the neighbourhood was in a noticeably cheaper suit. Had they been in robes it might have been a more even playing field.
shareSo the quality of the suits would factor into your decision? I'm not sure if be able to tell the difference if they both fit ok.
The wigs look like they'd be hot and smelly.
It could influence it. The more put together someone looks, the more it looks like they're on top of the game about everything.
In the case of the hearing I saw, the well-dressed legal team jumped all over every document the neighbourhood's lawyer wanted to submit and the judge (no jury for the hearing) sided with the corporate lawyers.
My ex-wife served on several juries (civil, not criminal, cases) and said the jury basically found for the lawyer who didn't piss them off the most. So much for the jury system, eh?
shareThere's a lot of thought on the conduct of trials which argues that the impression which an attorney makes can heavily influence the jury. Ideally, the decision should be based totally on the facts and the logic of the argument presented, but things like whether the jury likes an attorney factor into the decision.
Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.
I thought they had made the wigs optional? I was living in England when that changed I think. Maybe higher courts still require them; but I thought it was mostly a voluntary thing at this point.
shareThe Wikipedia article does say it's at the discretion of the judge. There's also a section titled "Reform" that says there were protests from lawyers and judges who didn't want change, so for the most part the reform was cancelled.
shareThanks. I do remember that some protested and liked the tradition. On 'Silk' a British series on PBS, they always seem to wear them and that seems to be a pretty accurate portrayal.
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