LAWYERS AND WIG

Judges and lawyers in Britain have been wearing wigs for at least 300 years. Originally, the wigs were made of human hair; today however, they are made of horsehair. Barristers also wear gowns in court. Junior barristers wear gown made of alpaca wool; senior barristers, known formally as Queen’s Counsel, are more commonly called ‘silks’ because their gowns are made of silk. The gowns of every barrister has a small pouch sewn into the left shoulder – a reminder of the time when barristers were not allowed to solicit fees and instead solicitors would quietly slip golden guineas into the pouch. Another legacy from the past is Britain’s Privy Council, which was set up after the Norman Conquest in 1066 to advise the monarch. Today the council’s Judicial Committee acts as a final court of appeal for nine independent nations, all former British colonies.