Should lawyers still be required to wear gowns to court in 2019? It’s not as much of a burning issue within the Ontario legal community as say, the underfunding of the legal aid system, but it is a perennial topic of conversation that popped up again last month when lawyer Douglas Judson tweeted:“Radical proposition: We should all ditch the gowns. You pay for the courts: wear whatever the hell you want (or what your client expects you to).” That got other lawyers weighing in on whether it’s time to scrap the black gown, waistcoat and white tabs that are steeped in British legal tradition going back centuries. Lawyers are required to wear the robes — which can make for especially unpleasant situations in summer, when working in humid courtrooms — in the Superior Court of Justice, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Not so in the lowest and busiest level of court, the Ontario Court of Justice, where business attire is just fine.“Personally, I tend to find the robes are a bit anachronistic. I think that in 2019, we shouldn’t be looking for tools that set lawyers apart as somehow different than everyday citizens,” Judson, who is also running for a spot on the Law Society of Ontario’s board of directors, told the Star. Read more: Petition asks why Osgoode Hall’s cramped ‘Lady Barristers’ room has just 12 lockers, but the men get about 70 Lawyers will get gender-neutral robing room at Osgoode Hall following petitionBeverley McLachlin hangs up justice robes, picks up pen with courtroom thriller“I think it creates a distance between officers of the court and the people who use the court that doesn’t really reflect the openness and candour that I think lawyers want to have with their clients.” He said the issue at least warrants a discussion. One argument in favour of keeping the gowns, Judson acknowledged, is that they make all lawyers appear equal in court, meaning the decisi ...
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