Late-arriving lawyers have been given a ticking-off by Chief Justice Richard Ground, and told to get to court on time.

In a notice in the official gazette, Mr. Justice Ground said: “Counsel are reminded that it is their duty to be before the court at the time fixed for the start of any hearing, robed where appropriate and ready to start on time.

“They should understand that the court will start whether they are present or not, and will not wait for them.”

He further warned that lawyers who turn up late may be reported to their official body, the Bar Association, or even face contempt of court proceedings.

He added that they may have to foot the bill if a hearing has to be adjourned because they have failed to show.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Justice Ground said: “It started off because of a few (incidents) where counsel failed to appear or were late and the Chief Justice thought it was nice to remind them about being prompt.”

It was unclear last night how much of a problem tardy lawyers have been.

Rod Attride-Stirling, head of the Bar Association, said he could not remember a similar direction off-hand although it may not be the first. “Practice directions are, generally speaking, always taken very seriously by the Bar,” he said.