Courtroom Attire for Women Lawyers

We’ve had a tag for a while rounding up articles and roundups of interest to women lawyers looking for guidance on courtroom attire… but we thought we’d round it all up into one post. Readers, I’d love to hear your thoughts — what are your best tips on courtroom attire for women lawyers?

Pssst: check out our roundup of Wardrobe Essentials for Work — our favorites in every category like blouses, trousers, loafers, and more.

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What Women Lawyers Should Wear to Court Generally

In general, your courtroom attire should have a dark, neutral base made of suiting material. You should wear something beneath your blazer that enables you to take your blazer off — not a lacy camisole or sheer tank top, in other words. Your clothes should be comfortable enough to move and sit in, i.e., not skin tight. Your shoes can be heels or flats, but above all else they should be something you can walk in comfortably, and they shouldn’t squeak or otherwise make a lot of noise.

We, of course, have a regularly-updated roundup of the best interview suits for women in all budgets, and we’ve rounded up the best petite suits, the best plus-size suits, and the best suits for tall women. We’ve also given tips on suiting alterations for women, and offered advice on dry cleaning women’s suits.

We’ve talked a lot about courtroom attire for female lawyers in the past, including whether you can wear “interesting” suits to court, what to wear for a month in court (or a long trial in general!), how to stay polished when dealing with metal detectors, and (a while ago now!) whether you can wear flats to court. We’ve even talked about some finer points of women’s professional attire in general, such as whether you should unbutton your blazer to sit, the best coats to wear over a suit, and whether your shirt collar should go in or out of your blazer.

(Outside of the courtroom, do check out our post on C-suite style for women if you’re interested in power dressing — we also feature a Suit of the Week that tends to be a more fun or interesting women’s suit.)

If you’re an American judge, or a lawyer practicing in a jursidiction where robes are common courtroom attire, we’ve done a whole roundup on where to shop for judicial attire (including jabots), inspired by advice from readers in the comments section.

Why Does It Matter What Lawyers Wear to Court?

I’m going to say that yes, it matters what all lawyers wear to court — men, women, everybody! With men’s clothing, however, the margin for error is pretty small — you wear a suit. Period. Whether it’s a good suit or a bad suit, for the most part, doesn’t matter, so long as it looks like a business suit. (But do try to avoid wearing a red velvet magician’s tuxedo suit to court, a la My Cousin Vinny.)

The fact of the matter is that you are representing a client in court — not yourself — and so personal style should take a backseat. All lawyers appearing before a court should look professional, respectful of the court and judge, and you should strive to convey other traits that would behoove your client, such as honesty and trustworthiness.

The circumstances around the courtroom appearance matter, as well, at least in my opinion — I remember years ago The Wall Street Journal profiled a young public defender who talked about her love for high fashion in the courtroom… that has always rubbed me the wrong way. (As we’d say these days: main character energy.)

Does It Matter What You Wear to Court If It’s a Bench Trial or Appellate Trial?

Yes, it does — even if you know the judge well, you don’t know every member of the judge’s staff well. Many courtrooms have their own dress codes, though.

Does It Matter What You Wear to Court If You’re a Junior Member of the Trial Team?

What you wear to court especially matters if you’re the lead lawyer, giving opening or closing arguments — and even if you’re a junior lawyer questioning a single witness. I’d think opening and closing arguments matter most, though, because they are usually the first and last arguments the factfinder will hear.

That said, I also think it matters if you’re a junior member of the trial team, whether it’s a junior lawyer, paralegal, or other assistant. Again: you all represent a client. If a male lawyer chose to wear flip flops and board shorts to court, you would notice — and notice what table he was seated at — even if he wasn’t the focus of activities for the day. My guess is, you’d even notice if he wore khakis and a button-front.

Why Are There Special Rules for Courtroom Attire for Women Lawyers?

Like I mentioned above, it isn’t that there are special rules per se — it’s just that the margin of error is much, much wider for women. Judges may have their own code of conduct, including dress code, in their courtroom.

Do Women Lawyers Always Have to Wear a Suit to Appear in Court?

This depends heavily on the judge, as well as your client. As we always note in our featured Suit of the Week, a suit can often be the easiest thing to put on. That said… no, you don’t always have to wear a suit to appear in court.

Two non-suit looks that might work for court:

• the “column of color” — i.e., black pants, a black blouse, and a more colorful blazer on top of the column of color
• a dress, topped with a blazer (in fact, many commenters here note that they wear a nonmatching dress and blazer all the time to court)

Of course, there are exceptions — for example, judges and juries will hopefully be more accepting of a pregnant mother’s attire. We’ve done a roundup of the best maternity suits for lawyers, but pickings are very slim.

Another adage we cite often here: know your office. In this case, know your courtroom. If there’s any question in your mind, wear the easiest option: a suit.

Can Women Lawyers Wear Pantsuits to Court?

This used to be a very controversial question! Pantsuits are much more acceptable now, but my answer remains the same: it depends heavily on your judge, courtroom, jurisdiction, client, and so forth. The answer may be different if you have an older judge, are practicing in the South, or other reasons.

The Best Hair and Makeup for Courtroom Attire

These two things aren’t terribly complicated, either: you don’t want your hair and makeup to be a distraction from your arguments.

To that end: your hair should, ideally, be neat and clean. You should wear it in a way that you will not be fidgeting or playing with it during your time in court. For some people this may mean that you don’t need to worry about styling at all! But if you know yourself to be a fidgeter, take a look at our roundup of easy office updos or tips on styling long hair for interviews.

Ditto for your makeup — you don’t want it to be a distraction. You should strive to look awake and alive — it doesn’t have to be more than that. For me this means a bit of undereye concealer, blush, and a bit of lip tint — for you that may look different.

Is Pantyhose Required for Courtroom Appearances?

This varies widely by court, judge, jurisdiction, and locality. I would err on the side of “YES” until you know differently, but that’s me. (We have a whole guide to pantyhose; this affordable pair is our latest favorite.)

Do Women Lawyers Have to Wear a Suit for Remote or Virtual Courtroom Appearances?

This answer also varies widely. For the most part, I think a dark blazer and neutral top should be fine. — but know your situation.

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Suits for Women

Great Quality Suits for Women

Less Expensive but Polished Women’s Suits

Seasonless Suiting for Women

As of 2025, some of our favorite seasonless suiting includes Ann Taylor and J.Crew on the affordable side, and Theory (Good Wool), Brooks Brothers, M.M.LaFleur and Argent on the more expensive side. (Talbots used to carry it also, so keep an eye out at resale sites!) See our roundup of the best women’s suits of 2025 here!

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / HayDmitriy.

New here? Some of our main fashion articles that might be of interest include our Ultimate Guide to Business Casual, Wardrobe Essentials for Work, and The Corporette Guide to Comfortable Heels — all constantly updated! If you’re just starting out or on a budget, check out our Affordable Office Clothes roundup — and if you’re plus-sized, check out our Plus-Size Picks for Work.