Appropriate Dress Attire In Court: How To Avoid Your Clothes Screaming "Guilty!"

In a purely professional capacity, Blogger has become increasingly concerned about some of the fundamental mistakes that he sees clients make everyday in the courtroom. I hope that this piece will provide wisdom and insight in regard to proper attire for your court date.

The Don'ts

Blogger has noticed that some individuals facing drunk driving charges enjoy showing up with shirts with beer slogans on them. Worse yet, some of these slogans say inane things like "Fresno State Phi Kappa: Mardi Gras All Year Round!" In regard to this strategy, I have but one hyphenated word. "Don't."

And the same goes for people like the gentleman in Fresno that showed up at court for a domestic violence case with a shirt that said "Shut Up B____h!"

Or when you show up at court for a receipt of stolen property case in baggy pants, untucked in shirt, and with a big gold chain hanging from your neck with your cell phone attached to it. Before showing up in such attire, ask yourself, "how is your counsel supposed to convince a judge that you did not know about the stolen property when you look like a fence?" I checked my pockets to make sure he hadn't taken my wallet.

It's also definitely a no no to show up in court under dressed without doing advance prep work. Girls who show up in revealing tank tops often think that the judge will be lenient. I can assure you, not if it's a woman judge.

I also advise against showing up dressed like Will Smith at your contempt hearing for failing to show child support. I say unto you, "dress like a church mouse."

Another important thing is never show up to court for a petty theft case wearing a shirt from the place that you allegedly robbed. Those Target T-Shirts are a real distraction when you're accused of stealing an armful of clothes the week before. Target doesn't appreciate brand loyalty among shoplifters.