I’ve watched a lot of arguments in my time covering litigation, which means I’ve seen a lot of lawyers wearing essentially the same thing in the courtroom.

The overwhelming majority of the time, those outfits include a white shirt and a black, navy or charcoal suit. I’ve always wondered about what’s behind that near-uniform. Is it one of those things attorneys just do because that’s what their mentors did? Is it to keep one element simple during an otherwise complex event? And are litigators who deviate from that formula doing so to make a statement?

I asked litigators what they consider when getting dressed for court. More than anything else, those who do go for the white shirt and dark suit said they do so because they want to avoid anything that might distract from what they’re saying.

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