Abstract
New lawyers are often told to wear conservative clothes to court, so their clothing does not distract from their message. And many new lawyers have responded to this advice by questioning whether the advice is more myth than science. To assess the validity of this oft-repeated advice, the author of this Article conducted a study using eye-tracking technology and traditional survey questions to test whether potential jurors who watched an opening statement given by a conservatively dressed attorney would learn and remember information differently than a potential juror who watched an opening statement given by a non-conservatively dressed attorney. This Article details the results of the study. No statistically significant difference was found between the information learned and retained by study participants who watched the opening statement of a conservatively dressed attorney and study participants who watched the opening statement of a non-conservatively dressed attorney, except for one small exception. Study participants did remember the name of the non-conservatively dressed attorney far more readily than the participants who watched the conservatively dressed attorney. This Article discusses some collateral findings of the study that open up new avenues for research to be conducted on how potential jurors learn and retain information, but ultimately concludes that many law professors, prominent trial strategy treatises, law school textbooks, and even notable legal theorists are on shaky ground when it comes to their conservative dress advice for new lawyers.
Recommended Citation
Cameron, Catherine
(2024)
"Stop Worrying About What to Wear to Court: It Probably Doesn't Matter,"
University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy: Vol. 34:
Iss.
3, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/jlpp/vol34/iss3/3