Court attire is addressed in The Professional Conduct Handbook, reprinted May 1988 - see Part E, Ruling 4.
This ruling was not incorporated into the current Professional Conduct Handbook. It is traditional however, for lawyers to wear gowns except in chambers and before an associate judge. If a lawyer appears without a gown he will not "be heard".
Practice Direction 11, Gowning Policy for Counsel was updated on October 26, 2018 and expands the occasions which require gowns.
The wearing of wigs was abolished in British Columbia in 1905 by An Act Further to Amend the Supreme Court Act, S.B.C. 1905, c. 16.
Further Reading
- "A Brief History of Court Attire", (2006) 64 The Advocate 65-77
- "Judicial Robes", (1952) 10 The Advocate 109-111
- "Off with the Wigs", (1960) 18 The Advocate 209
- "The Order of the Coif", (1945) 3 The Advocate 124-125
- "Wigs - White - Red "on the Green" - Gone!", (1984) 42 The Advocate 405
References
- Professional conduct handbook by Law Society of British Columbia – on-site at Vancouver Courthouse Library
- Practice Direction Gowning Policy for Counsel – BC Courts
- British Columbia civil trial handbook – on-site at Courthouse Libraries
- Legal habits: A brief sartorial history of wig, robe and gown – on-site at Vancouver Courthouse Library
- The advocate by Vancouver Bar Association – on-site at Courthouse Libraries