How should you dress?

16.1The standard

Expectation

Dress as you would for a job interview at a bank. The Judge sees you before you speak, and what you wear is the first evidence they receive about how seriously you are taking this. That is not fair, and it is how it works.

A suit if you have one, in a dark colour, with a tie or without. If you do not own a suit, dark trousers or a skirt, a collared shirt or plain blouse, a jacket or plain jumper if it is cold, and clean closed shoes. Nothing with a logo, a slogan or a brand across it. Hair tidy, no hat, no sunglasses on your head. Remove visible piercings other than earrings if you can. Cover tattoos if clothing allows, not because the court objects to tattoos, but because it removes one more thing the Judge might form a view about.

16.2What not to wear

Avoid

Tracksuit pants, shorts, hoodies, singlets, thongs, sneakers unless they are plain and clean, ripped jeans, anything you would wear to a festival. The court has seen people sentenced in all of them. It notices.

If you genuinely do not have suitable clothing, borrow it, or buy one plain outfit from a discount store. It costs less than the difference between the outcomes it affects.

16.3Bags, phones and papers

Practical

Bring your documents in a folder, not loose. Phone off, not silent, before you enter the courtroom; a phone ringing during a sentence is the kind of thing Judges remember. If you carry a bag, expect it to be searched at security. Do not bring anything you would not want found.