Contempt of court: overview

by Practical Law Dispute Resolution

Maintained | England, Wales

This note provides an overview of the law of contempt in the context of civil proceedings, including the substantive law and the procedural rules set out in CPR 81 (Applications and proceedings in relation to contempt of court), that apply from 1 October 2020.

Get access to this document with Practical Law

Why Practical Law?

Gain a built-in attorney network

Practical Law’s resources are written and maintained by over 650 dedicated, full-time attorney-editors globally. They’re highly qualified, having practiced at the world’s leading law firms, corporate law departments, and government agencies, so they understand the challenges you face. They dedicate themselves to creating resources to help you navigate the new legal realities, legislative changes, and practice areas impacting your clients or organisation.

See how to leverage the expertise of Practical Law’s attorney-editors to help you practice more efficiently.

Expert guidance

650+ full-time, experienced attorney-editors keep you up to date globally

Total resources

118,000+ total resources across 17 practice areas ensure comprehensive coverage

Timely updates 

150,000+ hours spent in 2025 maintaining and updating resources

Experience Practical Law