Courts: Proper attire required! | L’Economiste
Clothes don’t make the man. This proverb is so dear to people who care little about their attire. But the Casablanca Bar Association is not of this opinion and just sent a note to lawyers about some of them being too casual. Apparently, this is not the first time that the bar association has pinpointed the way some lawyers dress inside the courts. This issue, it seems, is unanimous among veterans, young people, and trainees. In his note, Taher Mouafak, President of the Casablanca Bar Association, says that “the prestige of a profession is not measured solely through the laws which govern such a profession, nor by the respect due by the public and users in court, but colleagues should be convinced of the sacred nature of their profession and of the need to take care of their appearance to arouse respect and consideration”. However, due to the fact that the President of the Casablanca Bar Association visits different courts as part of his work and his mission as President of the Bar and sometimes even inside the headquarters of the Association, “it is regrettable to note that a large number of lawyers do not attach any importance to the way they dress. Indeed, our colleagues dress as they see fit. Their clothes are not commensurate with lawyers and with the respect due to the gown and to the profession”. The President of the Casablanca Bar Association decries “the wearing of torn jeans, espadrilles or even the traditional headscarf (zif hayati ) by some female lawyers”… In addition to their clothes, the president of the bar points the finger at the “haircu” of some colleagues and is already worried about the future laureates of institutes and faculties who wish to pursue a career as a lawyer. Consequently, the president of the bar urges his colleagues to raise awareness among these young people so that they give to “the question of attire the importance it deserves because the credibility and respectability of the profession are at stake”. For the Casablanca Bar Association, the first step for the success and respectability of the profession of lawyer is its dress code. “When you circulate inside a court, you will never meet a magistrate dressed in a T-shirt, in a simple shirt, or in jeans”, underlines the president of the bar association, who added that the fact of dressing in this way causes harm to the profession and regretted that some colleagues are not aware of it. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish a lawyer from a man in the street.
Usually, lawyers wear their gowns inside the courts when exercising their activity, but the law does not provide for instructions on clothing.
H.E.
