When attending a court hearing you shouldn’t wear clothes that can leave a bad impression on the spectator. Do your clothes define who you are as a person? Is it necessary to follow rules and regulations when you are attending a court hearing? Your ability to choose clothes can’t define your personality. This is where we come to help you. Here you find what to wear to a court.
Your clothes and behavior in the courtroom will have a significant impact on your case. The way you dress up for a court hearing can tell a lot about your professionalism. If you dress in an inappropriate manner, it will be interpreted as a symbol of disrespect to the court and officials present over there. You don’t want to ruin your chance to seek justice so make sure you adhere to all the unwritten rules of dressing and behaving in a courtroom.
Polite behavior along with dressing up formally can help you build a good impression on everyone present in the courtroom. You can’t wear your favorite shorts for a court hearing. Wearing a suit with a tie is one of the most recommended outfits for men for their court hearing session. For women, it is advised to wear a decent dress.
You can simply choose an outfit that you think will be suitable to wear for a business meeting. Wearing short clothes is not advisable for anyone. Even if you are attending a court hearing as a witness or support person, you should follow all the dressing rules for visiting a court.
Inappropriate dressing can make the judge pass a judgment, not in your favor. So, it’s better to remain on the safe side of the bridge. Worried about what is a suitable dress for a court hearing? Don’t worry!!! We have answered all your queries.
In This Article
Courtroom Etiquettes For Men And Women
If you are in a courtroom you can’t do certain activities. You have to keep a check on your behavior. You can’t sit and relax in a courtroom as you do in your garden. It is your duty to behave in such a manner that the decorum of the court is left undisturbed. Every individual present in the court has to follow a code of conduct to respect the nation’s laws and reputed officials.
If you don’t behave in a dignified manner, there are chances that you will have to pay a hefty amount of fine or even go to jail for ‘contempt of court’. So, how should you behave in a courtroom as a defendant, witness, or public? Read on to discover various rules and regulations of a courtroom.
- Don’t spend your time on your smartphone. This is considered to be a highly disrespectful act. Either turn off your mobile phone or switch to flight mode.
- If you are witnessing a courtroom hearing from the public gallery, make sure you don’t pass any comments. Try to maintain the decorum of the court. Don’t make any disturbing sounds. Don’t indulge in small talks with other people.
- Thinking about bringing your favourite snacks to the courtroom? Ok, Stop!!! Don’t eat or drink anything in the courtroom. No one is allowed to do so. If you want to eat something, find a separate area for this purpose.
- Don’t smoke. We know our readers are smart enough to know that smoking is strictly prohibited in the courtrooms.
- Recording videos or audios of the courtroom hearing to share with people not present there. Ugh! Don’t record any visual clippings in a courtroom. You can get fined for doing so.
- Don’t broadcast the trial by any means.
- There are many people involved in a jury trial. Don’t speak to jurors in a jury trial.
- If you are a defendant make sure you don’t answer while sitting comfortably when the judge or magistrate is asking you something.
- Lastly, dress neatly to avoid disrespecting the courtroom.
Traditional Affordable AttiresTo Wear To A Court (For Men)
When it comes to attending a court hearing, you have to be mindful about what style of clothes you choose to wear.
A Formal Suit With A Tie
One of the most common court hearing attire is a simple formal suit with a necktie. Deciding whether to wear a bow tie or necktie isn’t that complicated when you are going to court. You don’t want to look overdressed when you are attending a court hearing. This is probably one of the most appropriate attire to wear to a court.
Sports Coat
You also pick your sports court to wear to a court. As straightforward as it might sound, wearing a sports coat to a court will make you look more appealing than everyone else.
Long Pants
Pair up long pants with a buttoned shirt. To form your best possible thing to wear to a court, you should wear long pants.
Wear A Belt
Don’t forget to wear pants with belt loops. Not only does it look quite formal, but it also helps you portray your professional attitude.
Wear Shoes With Socks
To avoid depicting inappropriate dressing sense, you should wear socks with your closed-toe or conservation shoes.
Long Sleeve Collared Shirt
For a not so casual look, you should stick to a long sleeve shirt with a color. You can pair your long sleeve shirt with nice long pants.
Wear pants at your waist level. Pants shouldn’t be worn below your waist level as it looks indecent in a court in front of all the officials. You should definitely go with this to wear to a court.
Jacket
If you are going to attend a courtroom hearing in the winter season, you can wear a jacket. However, you shouldn’t wear a jacket that is too funky to be worn to a court.
Traditional Affordable Attires To Wear To A Court (For Women)
We can’t ignore the fact that everyone in the court is going to notice what you are wearing. Irrespective of what your position is in the court.
You have to dress appropriately to avoid any sort of conflict. There are instances where people were not allowed to enter the court just because they didn’t dress up appropriately.
Curious to know what are the most suitable outfit options for women attending a courtroom hearing? Read on.
Proper Fitted Clothes
Wearing properly fitted clothes will make you look more representable. As our clothes play a vital role in determining the first impression we leave on others, you should wear clothes that fit you well.
Dress Conservatively
Conservative dress simply means dresses without any embellishments. You don’t have to flaunt your glamorous outfits on the court.
Simple Dress With A Jacket
Wear a simple business dress with a jacket. Adding a jacket is your choice. If you don’t feel like wearing a jacket, you can stick to a simple dress.
Wear A Two-Piece Suit
A court is a formal place. Wear a two-piece suit or pants suit of good colors. If you are wearing a skirt make sure the length of the skirt is below the knee.
Neutral Colour Shirt
Don’t wear bright colors to the court. A white or an off-white colored shirt is a tasteful choice. You can wear long pants with a shirt.
Shoes
Wear closed-toe shoes. Mid heels are a good option to wear to a court session.
What Not To Wear To A Court – For Men And Women
- Hats, hoods and caps.
- Say no to cut-off shorts.
- Pleated shorts.
- Athletic apparel.
- Revealing clothes.
- Printed T-shirts.
- Spaghetti tops and shorts.
- Tank tops.
- Crops tops showing your belly button.
- Small or large baggy clothes.
- Strapless dresses.
- Midi dresses.
- Sleeveless shirts.
- Partywear dresses.
- Hair curlers.
- Ripped jeans.
- Clothes with inappropriate words written on them.
- Clothes with a visual representation of violence, sex or any illegal things like drugs.
- Distracting jewellery.
- Heavy make-up.
Bonus Tips
If you have any tattoos or piercings on your body, make sure you remove all your piercings before entering the court. Your piercings and tattoos can grab everyone’s attention. So, make sure you don’t wear any precious jewels to the court.
Don’t forget to cover up your tattoos as well. You can wear long sleeve formal shirts to cover your arm tattoos. Or you can wear light make-up to hide tattoos on your face.
Don’t forget to wash your hair. Nobody likes a person whose hair is smelly. Wash your hair before going to court. Dry and brush your hair. Don’t style your hair. Women can make a neat ponytail with a rubber band instead of leaving their hair open.
In addition to that, trim and tame your facial hair. Don’t use too many beauty products on your face or hair. Maintain a natural look for the court.
Don’t wear dirty or ripped clothes. Wear clean clothes and don’t forget to iron your clothes before your court session.
Wrapping Up
From noticing your tip of the white-colored shirt to the closed-toe of your simple shoes. Everyone present in the court will form an opinion about you based on your dressing sense. You don’t have to worry about being overdressed at a court if you follow all the above-prescribed guidelines.
We have tried our level best to include everything essential to wear for a courtroom hearing, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family.
Feature image credits: The Legacy Lawyers.
