Lawyers in Cyprus and the way they dress before the Court
Firstly, Lawyers in Cyprus must be dressed appropriately. This means that male lawyers during hearings have to be dressed with a:
- White shirt and white collar.
- Lawyer’s robe.
- Black suit.
Female lawyers should be dressed in a white shirt and collar, a lawyer’s robe, and black pants or a skirt and a black jacket.
Lawyers in Cyprus appearing in court should wear clothes which are unobtrusive and compatible with the wearing of robes. Suits and dresses should be of dark color. Dresses or blouses should be long-sleeved and high to the neck. Shirts and blouses should be predominantly white or of other unemphatic appearance. Collars should be white and shoes black.
As lord Brightman stated in the case of Malalieu v Drummond (1983):
What sort of clothes a barrister should wear in court (I include chambers) is a matter of good taste and common sense, the criterion being that they should be appropriate to the dignity of the occasion.
Male lawyers in Cyprus must also comb their hair. A beard is generally allowed. In relation to the shoes of Cyprus lawyers, these should preferably be black and well polished. Women should also brush their hair and they should not wear sunglasses at the back of their head nor wear see-through clothes.
In case the lawyer appearing before the court is not appropriately dressed, the court may allow for the lawyer to leave in order to dress appropriately and return. This has happened several times in the Cyprus Courts. In the case of St George’s Car Hire Ltd v Limassol District (1995) 2 SCD 96 the lawyer appeared before the court with white shoes and the District Judge gave 30 minutes to the lawyer to appear before it with a new pair of shoes.
The Supreme Court judges decided that the judge had the right to comment on the shoes of the lawyer. However, it was important that this was done discretely in Chambers.
The above shows the importance of clothing in the life of lawyers in Cyprus.
This article is given for information purposes only and it does not constitute legal advice.