DRESS DOWN DELAY

Plans to introduce a new judicial court working dress in January, which will see judges in civil cases ditching their wigs, have been put on hold. The lord chief justice, Lord Phillips, says the new gowns to be sported by judges in civil cases will not be ready in time, so the changes are being put on hold until the start of the next legal year, 1 October 2008. In the meantime, Lord Phillips will hand down a practice direction before Christmas to permit solicitors and other advocates, as defined in the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, s 27(9), to wear wigs in circumstances where they are worn by members of the Bar.