There is a dress code designated for almost every profession in our country. Doctors are identified by their white aprons, engineers by their helmets and lawyers by their typical black and white attire. The most peculiar of the lot is a lawyer’s dress code. Unlike doctors, who have the same white apron as their symbol of identity all throughout the globe, lawyers have a dress code that differs from country to country.
Image for representational purpose only
In countries like Canada, lawyers wear a red and white uniform, while in some other European countries there is a wig attached to the traditional black and white dress. However, majority of the lawyers across the whole world wear a black and white uniform. In our country too, both male and female lawyers are ultimately needed to wear a black dress. A white shirt with a black trouser and gown and a white neck-band on top of it, is common. One would wonder what exactly is the reason behind a lawyer’s outfit; let us tell you, it is not any random choice but there is actually a logic behind it.
The Origin Of The Dress Code Of Present Day Lawyers Of Our Country Dates Back To The 16th Century.
In February 1685, when King Charles II of England died, people started wearing a gown as a symbol of mourning for their King’s death. It was then that the uniform for a lawyer was designated. It was believed that wearing a wig and gown awarded a degree of anonymity to lawyers and judges.
The black color was chosen because of two reasons. Firstly, colors and dyes were not readily available back then. Purple signified royalty and thus, the only abundant fabric color left was black. However, the main reason behind wearing a black coat is because black is the color of authority and power. Black represents submission of oneself. Just like priests wear black to show their submission to God, lawyers wear black to show their submission to justice.
The color white signifies light, goodness, innocence and purity. As a lawyer is the only hope of justice for a common man, the color white is chosen to represent him. As the Indian culture is highly influenced by its British rulers, the Advocate’s Act of 1961 makes it mandatory for a lawyer to wear a black robe or coat with a white neck-band on top of it.
What Is The Big Deal With The White Band? It Has A Story Behind It Too!
In our country, it is not the black coat or white shirt that symbolizes an advocate, but the small piece of neck-band worn by them. The usual black and white dress can be worn by anyone in our country but the white neck-band is reserved only for the lawyers of our country. Why so much importance to the little piece of cloth?
The white neck bands too have their origins rooted in England. In the old English Courts, the barristers-at-law used to wear white bands as part of their uniform. Since, the Barristers were the first lawyers of Indian Courts, their dress was adopted as a symbol of advocates in our country.
The two pieces of white cloth joined together to form the advocate’s bands represent the Tablets Of The Laws or Tablets Of Stone. These are the tablets that, according to the Christian belief, were used by Moses for inscribing the 10 commandments which he received from a burning bush on Mt. Sinai. The 10 commandments are believed to be the first example of a uniform coded law. The shape of the band is also similar to the rounded off rectangular tablets. Thus, the white advocate’s bands represent the upholding of the laws of God and of men.
Interesting, wasn’t it? Now surely you won’t wonder why lawyers wear the black and white dress and will eventually respect it more. Do let us know what you used to think about the lawyer’s dress in our comments section below.
