The duty in context
Comply with and respect court orders court
The lawyer must comply with court orders binding on them, must not aid a client in disobeying an order, and must maintain due respect and courtesy toward the court.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 2.5 strong 55 cases
2.5 You do not place yourself in contempt of court, and you comply with court orders which place obligations on you.
SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook CD1; rC3; rC64.2 partial 44 cases
rC3 You owe a duty to the court to act with independence in the interests of justice. This duty overrides any inconsistent obligations which you may have (other than obligations under the criminal law). rC64.2 comply in due time with any decision or sentence imposed by the Bar Standards Board, a Disciplinary Tribunal, the High Court, the First Tier Tribunal ...
BSB Handbook Part 2: Code of Conduct · 5.0 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rules 20.3.1; 20.3.2 partial 25 cases
20.3 A solicitor whose client informs the solicitor that the client intends to disobey a court's order must: 20.3.1 advise the client against that course and warn the client of its dangers; 20.3.2 not advise the client how to carry out or conceal that course...
Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules rr12(b),80 partial 14 cases
A barrister must not engage in conduct which is: ... (b) prejudicial to the administration of justice. ... A barrister whose client informs the barrister that the client intends to disobey a court's order must: (a) advise the client against that course and warn the client of its dangers; (b) not advise the client how to carry out or conceal that course.
Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules · 2015 (as amended 14 May 2025) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch5 — Compliance with orders of the court strong 4 cases
A solicitor is obliged to comply with an order of the court, and failure to do so may amount to contempt of court. A solicitor should not aid or assist a client where the client refuses to obey an order of the court. A solicitor is bound to honour an undertaking given to the court.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 5.1 partial 4 cases
Barristers must maintain due respect and courtesy towards the Court before which they are appearing.
Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon V(a); Canon V(b) partial 2 cases
(a) An Attorney shall maintain a respectful attitude towards the Court, not for the sake of the holder of any office, but for the maintenance of its supreme importance and he shall not engage in undignified or discourteous conduct which is degrading to the Court. (b) An Attorney shall encourage respect for the Courts and Judges.
Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.3.1; GP.5 partial
Members owe a duty to the court to act with independence in the interests of justice. This duty overrides any inconsistent obligations which they may have... [GP.5] As officers of the court, members (and their employees) have a fundamental duty to uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice. Members must adhere to the oath sworn before the Royal Court.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 5.1-5 partial
A lawyer shall be courteous, civil, and act in good faith to the tribunal and with all persons with whom the lawyer has dealings. [Commentary [1]: a consistent pattern of rude, provocative, or disruptive conduct by the lawyer, even though unpunished as contempt, may constitute professional misconduct.]
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 5.1-5 partial 4 cases
A lawyer must be courteous and civil and act in good faith to the tribunal and all persons with whom the lawyer has dealings.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 13.2 / r 2.2 partial
A lawyer must not act in a way that undermines the processes of the court or the dignity of the judiciary. ... A lawyer must not attempt to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or defeat the course of justice.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct B1.13 partial
You must maintain due respect and courtesy towards the court while honourably pursuing the interests of your clients.
Law Society of Scotland — Practice Rules 2011, Rule B1 (Standards of Conduct) · 2011 · archived copy · official source ↗
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 13 (Respect for court or tribunal and related responsibilities) partial 4 cases
13 Respect for court or tribunal and related responsibilities
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 10.11 strong
A solicitor must comply with any order of the court requiring the solicitor or the firm to take or refrain from taking some particular course of action. ... A solicitor must not aid and abet his client to disobey a court order.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 10.34 partial
A practising barrister must at all times act with due courtesy to the Court before which he is appearing.
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
145 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern
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Roy Swartzberg
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking | Summary
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Harold Anthony Newell
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Brian Milner-Lunt
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Erich Hein CONRADIE
Guilty professional misconduct on charges 1, 3 and 4.
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Peter David Ashcroft
Breaches, Failures
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Berger, Victor
1. Failure to make costs disclosure to clients 2. Breach undertakings to Legal Services Commissioner 3. Purporting to act under power of attorney after donor of power died 4. Purporting to act as exectuor when no grant …
Costs Removal of lawyer's name from the Roll of Local Lawyers $0.00 Appeal Status: Dismissed Appeal Decision 3 PDFs View decision -
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Hocking, Bruce Percy
1. Breach of s255 LPA 2004 - Mishandling of trust money 2. Failing to account for funds received on client's behalf 3. Misappropriation 4. Mislead clients 5. Overcharging 6. Acting without instructions 7. Breaching Cour…
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Vay Sui Ip
Breaches
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Peter Elston Germain
Breaches
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William James PETSCHLER
Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 2 charges. Guilty of professional misconduct on 8 charges.
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Niall O'Kelly
In the matter of Niall O’Kelly, a solicitor previously practising as Niall O’Kelly, Solicitors, 52 Fortfield Park, Terenure, Dublin 6W, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [5202/DT145/13 and High Court re…
strike_off View decision -
Andrew Thomas Benson
Breaches, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Marcus Paul Nickson
Breaches, Failures
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Terrence Ballard
Breaches, Failures
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Niall O'Kelly
In the matter of Niall O’Kelly, a solicitor previously practising as Niall O’Kelly Solicitors, 52 Fortfield Park, Terenure, Dublin 6W, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [5202/DT156/12, 5202/DT11/13 and …
strike_off View decision -
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Edward Hugh Johnson & A nother
Breaches, Failures
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Bibiana Martial
Breaches, Failures, Others
Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.