Contempt

There seems to have been a spate of judgment embargo breaches since Sir Geoffrey Vos’s warning to forgetful, clumsy or errant lawyers last year that those who breach ought to expect contempt proceedings to follow. 

Neil Parpworth considers the limits of the court’s leniency when it comes to breaching an embargo

A barrister has escaped immediate sanction for emailing confidential annexes attached to a judgment to a person on work experience as well as their chambers marketing team, which then posted them on the chambers’ website.

A US deputy general counsel who breached the embargo on disclosure of draft judgments has escaped contempt proceedings.

City solicitor Raymond McKeeve has been given a £25,000 fine and ordered to pay £610,000 costs but escaped prison after allegedly telling a client to ‘burn’ evidence.

Neil Parpworth revisits his article about breaching embargoes on circulating draft judgments, with some important updates

Those who break embargoes on the publication of draft judgments can expect to find themselves facing contempt proceedings, the Master of the Rolls warned in February, following an embarrassing mishap in chambers

Contempt of court could be overhauled, due to public confusion about what the law means, inconsistencies in application, and the impact of social media

Avneet Baryan reports on the inviolability of embargoed judgments: what does this mean for practitioners?

Environmental lawyer, Tim Crosland, has been given a £5,000 fine by the Supreme Court after it was alleged by the Attorney General, Michael Ellis QC, that Crosland disclosed a confidential Supreme Court decision to the news wire Press Association, in breach of an embargo, prior to the judgment being handed down.