This is a subject close to my heart + has attracted a lot of criticism from practitioners today. A lot of aspiring barristers read practitioners' posts + IMO this is a more complicated issue than 'at my chambers we wear what we want'.So I'm going to try to break it down THREAD(S) https://twitter.com/AtkinsQC/status/1326821856058470405

1. Barristers are self-employed. So we have a high degree of professional autonomy. Most of us can therefore choose what we wear when not in court. However, I am yet to see anyone turn up to the High Court dressed like Kurt Cobain circa 1994.

2. Pupil barristers are dependent on members of chambers to decide to take them on. In some sets it may be ok to wear what you want as a pupil. But to my knowledge that is not correct in a high proportion of sets. I am thinking of commercial + old school crime sets in particular.

3. What you wear in conference + at other events is up to your professional judgment. So you rock a ralph polo on zoom calls. Good for you. But if you have a leader and you want to work with her again and she thinks juniors should wear a suit. Then, you know...

4. I'm sorry but it annoys me when senior barristers pretend these things don't matter. They really do. If you have been to certain schools and unis then it is easy to know + understand what is appropriate to wear and when - when to dress like Harry Potter + when to dress like Ye

5. But if you get invited to a mentoring session at an Inn by a judge. BE SMART. If it's an interview BE SMART. If it's pupillage or tenancy BE SMART until you feel comfortable doing what you want to do. We can all agree that the haircut part of that tweet is daft...

6. But at it's core the tweet has something going for it - as a pupil you ARE dependent on what others think of you. Impressions count. Maybe they shouldn't. But they do. Junior barristers don't have as much professional autonomy as senior ones.

7. Barristers want to be able to say it's your legal ability + brain we want not your shoes polished + that's 98% true but it's not that simple. There are some stuffy barristers ones - old and young. They can be judgmental. Judges - can also be judgmental.

7. In the meantime if anyone wants to dress up like kurt, ye, bowie, denning compare torsion v airmax, double vs single pleats, ralph v fred v lacoste, houndstooth v herringbone then let's go for a beer when this is over. But if you're a pupil not the Edgar or the Old Nick, yeah?