It was FW Maitland (writing in 1883) who referred to the wig as ‘the silliest adornment that the human head has yet invented’. Earlier still, Lord Denman CJ considered the wig ‘the silliest thing in England’. Today, many consider the abolition of the wig as an important and necessary step towards creating a more user-friendly system of justice in this country. In a short article appearing in this journal entitled ‘A new look for the Bar’ (NLJ, 3 February 1984, at p110), Brian W Haines wrote: ‘Let us start with the uniform. Is there really any need for wigs and gowns, to say nothing of that 1920s abomination the winged collar? These clothes do nothing to enhance the dignity of the law; they merely serve to emphasise just how out of touch the courts are with ordinary men and women. If a barrister can appear with dignity before a bench of magistrates in an ordinary suit then there can be no reason why he
