header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
09 July 2020 / David Burrows
Issue: 7894 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Contempt
printer mail-detail

Entering the contempt maze

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
23828
David Burrows navigates through a labyrinth of legal aid provisions & tackles the much misunderstood ‘contempt’
  • Contempt: a maze of terminology & legal aid.
  • Clarity—or not—and the procedure for contempt.

Tom Bingham (nom de plume of Lord Bingham) states his first rule of the Rule of Law (title of his 2004 lecture, and a 2011 Penguin paperback) as that all laws should be ascertainable, clear and accessible. Anyone threatened with imprisonment for ‘contempt of court’—itself a misleading title, which many judges say is inappropriate—will find that the law is anything but clear; and a defendant who wants legal aid for representation for defence (ie not to be sent to prison) will find the law is positively opaque.

On 1 May 2020 replies to a consultation concluded on ‘Proposed rule changes relating to contempt of court; redraft of CPR Part 81’ (https://bit.ly/37cbN6K); that is to amend the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (CPR 1998) to modernise its terminology and to clarify some of its procedure.

I responded

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Zylpha LogoClick to know more
Shakespeare Martineau—David Vaughan

Shakespeare Martineau—David Vaughan

Shakespeare Martineau appoints new London office head as firm continues investment in capital

Browne Jacobson—Kevin Moore

Browne Jacobson—Kevin Moore

Browne Jacobson strengthens All-Island life sciences platform with appointment of leading Galway MedTech lawyer

Clarke Willmott—Latitude Law

Clarke Willmott—Latitude Law

National law firm strengthens commercial offering with acquisition of leading immigration practice

NEWS
Read All
Prince Harry costs battle could go on for years
Mr Justice Nicklin’s decision to order costs on an indemnity basis may be a ‘significant win’ but it’s still ‘far from game, set and match’ for Associated Newspapers, a former costs judge has said
Legal sector teams gear up for Festival of Sport 2026
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
The LexisNexis Legal Aid Deserts Report 2026
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
SRA sounds warning over AI misuse as reports & investigations mount
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
NLJ this week: Love, money & the spreadsheet
Can a meticulously maintained spreadsheet turn a couple’s informal financial arrangements into legally enforceable obligations? 
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll