Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: One Size Does Not Fit All When It Comes to Courtroom Attire for Women

16 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2014

See all articles by Maureen A. Howard

Maureen A. Howard

University of Washington - School of Law

Date Written: January 15, 2010

Abstract

Like it or not, physical appearance is a factor in the work of a trial lawyer, regardless of gender. Although empirical research suggests that immutable physical attributes may play a role in the jury’s perception of an individual, this essay addresses those aspects of appearance more easily subject to conscious selection and change, such as clothing, hair, shoes, and jewelry.

Over the years, a body of advocacy scholarship has developed around this topic, producing fairly consistent advice about “appropriate” dress for the courtroom. As a general proposition, the advice — for both men and women — can be reduced to some version of “dress conservatively, simply, and inconspicuously.” If this advised style of dress runs counter to the essence of a particular advocate’s persona — as subjectively understood or objectively perceived by others — is it sound?

In this essay, I examine the conventional wisdom on courtroom attire and question whether the cookie cutter “feminization” of conventional advice adequately accounts for gender differences in contemporary society. I conclude that conventional advice, if followed blindly, runs the risk of undermining the most valuable asset a female trial lawyer possesses: her credibility.

Keywords: trial practice, trial advocacy, lawyers, attorneys, gender, women lawyers, female lawyers, clothing, dress, appearance, stereotypes

Suggested Citation

Howard, Maureen A., Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: One Size Does Not Fit All When It Comes to Courtroom Attire for Women (January 15, 2010). Gonzaga Law Review, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 209-24, 2009-10, University of Washington School of Law Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2411037

Maureen A. Howard (Contact Author)

University of Washington - School of Law ( email )

William H. Gates Hall
Box 353020
Seattle, WA 98105-3020
United States

HOME PAGE: https://www.law.washington.edu/directory/profile.aspx?ID=110

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
122
Abstract Views
1,763
Rank
414,744
PlumX Metrics