England and Wales drops the wig
The Lord Chief Justice has announced that in civil cases the wig is no longer required. What astounds me is the cost of wigs (and wing collars and bands) for annually for England and Wales:
Whilst the one-off cost of supplying the new civil gown is estimated at about £200,000, annual savings in the region of £300,000 will thereafter be made.
That’s quite a lot of money just on formal dress. I wonder what the savings would be if they dropped the wig for the criminal side as well.
The reasons given for the change is partly due to FIVE different outfits required under the current system.
“At present High Court judges have no less than five different sets of working dress, depending on the jurisdiction in which they are sitting and the season of the year. After widespread consultation it has been decided to simplify this and to cease wearing wigs, wing collars and bands in the civil and family jurisdictions. While there will never be unanimity of view about court dress, the desirability of these changes has a broad measure of agreement.”
