Why Do Lawyers Wear Black Robes?

Why do lawyers wear black robes? Like. other professions, lawyers wear a. specific costume. As you know, it. consists of a black robe, a white. cotton flap, and a cape. Two strips of. fabric are worn over the left shoulder, with one of these strips hanging down. over the chest and the other over the. back. It is important to note that this. costume, and in particular the wearing. of the robe, has only become mandatory. for lawyers since the law of December. 31, 1971. This law therefore requires. them, like other professions, to wear a.

uniform that symbolizes their role. However, although the black robe for. lawyers has only been mandatory for. about fifty years, it has been part of. their attire for much longer. Yes, lawyers owe this long robe with wide. sleeves to their distant predecessor. Under the old regime, most lawyers were. priests. They sat in particular in the. Parlement de Paris, which was the. highest level of jurisdiction at the. time, and in the provincial parliaments. . At that time, priests wore a cassock, although some dispensed with it, a long.

, closed garment designed to. distinguish them from lay people. And. in many ways, the lawyer's robe. resembled this cassock. Well, while the. lawyer's robe has retained its original. general shape and dark color, it has. nonetheless changed slightly in. appearance. Thus, it has become shorter. over time, stopping today at. half-length. Similarly, although the. train still exists, it is folded inside. the garment, probably for reasons of. modesty and to avoid criticism that the. robe costs between € 500 and €. 1,000, sometimes much more. Finally, be.

aware that as an emblem of the office. and a symbol of justice, the robe. should only be worn in the courtroom or. on rare occasions such as the funeral. of a colleague, for example. Lawyers. may therefore not wear it in their. office or on the street. That's it for. this episode. If you enjoyed it, please. note that I publish several a day on my. podcasts Things to Know. I'll put all. the links in the description. Thank you. .