When you think about a courtroom, you likely picture a formal setting. Men generally wear suits and ties. Women usually wear modest, conservative outfits. A great deal of thought and effort goes into selecting this attire because how you dress for court is important.
Judges, juries, opposing counsel, opposing parties, and everyone else involved can make snap judgments based on first impressions.
Nonverbal cues, from dress to behavior, play a significant part in how people perceive you.
How To Dress For Court
How you dress for court is an important part of your preparation.
Know the Dress Code
This may seem obvious, but there’s no excuse for not knowing the rules. You can likely look up what is and isn’t considered appropriate attire on the courthouse website. If that doesn’t work, you can call and ask. If you have an attorney, he or she can advise you in this capacity.
Wear Well-Fitting Clothing
While many of us may lounge around at home in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, that’s not an appropriate way to dress for court. Wear pants that aren’t jeans and a belt. Tuck in your shirt and wear your pants around your waist. If you have a button-up shirt and a tie, don it. You want to look as clean and tidy as possible.
Wear Comfortable Clothes
You may only be in court for a quick appearance, but depending on the situation, you may be there all day. However you dress for court, make sure you are reasonably comfortable. If you’re relaxed, that comes across.
Stiff or uncomfortable clothes impact your posture and focus. The last thing you want is to fidget, fuss, and squirm. You may not always know how long a certain procedure will take, but find out as best you can how long you’ll be there and dress appropriately.
Be Well Groomed
You’ll want to style your hair, or at least tame it as much as possible. Shave, or if you have facial hair, neatly trim your beard or mustache. Treat this like a job interview. You want to put your best foot forward and make a solid first impression.
Keep it Simple
You don’t want to appear ostentatious or flamboyant when you dress for court. Keep the jewelry or accessories to a minimum. Avoid gaudy rings, necklaces, and watches. Don’t wear a hat.
Keep your pockets as empty as possible. Try to avoid looking like you packed everything you own and only carry what you need.
Bring your wallet and keys, and turn off your cell phone. Better yet, leave it in the car. You have other things to focus on anyway.
Cover Tattoos and Remove Piercings
Tattoos and piercings are increasingly common and accepted, but cover them up when you dress for court.
You have no way to know if a particular judge looks at tattoos the same way as you do. Maybe there are full sleeves under that robe. Maybe there aren’t.
The same goes for appearing before a jury. You have no way of knowing how these people feel about this subject or how they’ll respond.
It’s important to prepare adequately for your day before the bench. How you dress for court and present yourself is an important part of that.
In a general sense, you don’t want your appearance or clothes to stand out. Your testimony and what you have to say should leave the greatest impression. Be clean, be professional, be appropriate.
There are enough variables in your case that you have no control over, so take the reins when and where you can. Don’t leave anything to chance if you don’t have to. How you dress and what you wear to court are factors you can manage.
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