Lawyer uniforms reinstated in Beijing courts

BEIJING - Lawyers in Beijing will once more be required to wear uniforms when appearing in court as part of a pilot program that began Aug. 1, the capital's lawyers association has said.

The six-month-long program, announced by the Beijing Lawyers Association, covers the Beijing Intellectual Property Court and the Dongcheng District People's Court. Lawyers should wear uniform robes with neckties and badges when entering courtrooms.

Lawyers can remove the uniform after leaving the courtroom. The courts provide dressing rooms for lawyers. The lawyers' association provides spare uniforms for those who need them.

The courts will report those who do not wear uniforms to the lawyers' association. The organization will investigate and reprimand lawyers who violate the dress code, said the notice unveiled last Friday.

Uniforms have been required since Jan.1, 2003, according to a regulation adopted by the All China Lawyers Association in 2002. The association is responsible for ordering uniforms and the fees are paid by law firms.

On Jan. 2, 2003, Pan Dun, from Beijing's Guantao Law Firm, was China's first lawyer in uniform since the re-establishment of the legal profession in 1980.

But the rule has since been loosely implemented across the country as it stipulates no strict punishment except admonition.

Some lawyers complain it is inconvenient for them to take uniforms with them and that many courts do not have dressing rooms.

"The uniforms are part of a lawyer's identity and remind them of their professional ethics and discipline," said Yi Shenghua with Yingke Law Firm in Beijing. "It is a respect for the law, the court and the parties."