UK Law Society Comments On Court Dress

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

12 May 2003

The UK's Law Society, which represents more than 85,000 solicitors in England and Wales, commented last week on the review of court dress currently being undertaken by Lord Chancellor, Derry Irvine, who is also consulting on his own powers of appointment, and on the reform of the QC system.

'It is important that court users should not feel intimidated or alienated by what they see in court and therefore the Law Society favours abolishing wigs in all cases,' the Society's president, Carolyn Kirby suggested. She went on to add that:

'The Law Society also believes that people should be confident that their case will obtain a fair hearing, and so we believe that all advocates in court should be treated the same way. At the moment, only barristers wear wigs; solicitors do not; QCs appear on the front bench and other advocates in the row behind. This should cease as it can create a perception - among victims or defendants - that the other side's advocates have an advantage.'

The Law Society also recently welcomed the consultation on reforming the QC regime, arguing that: 'the current designation of Queen's Counsel is essentially a public honour accorded to a private group, which is inappropriate in this modern age.'

Speaking at the recent ceremony for the presentation of the Silk Awards in Parliament, Lord Irvine had hinted to the current batch of 121 new QCs that they may be the last to receive the honour.

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