An instruction issued by a court or tribunal in favour of one or both parties to a claim either on the application of one of the parties, or of its own initiative and either in person or on the basis of a consideration of documentation submitted. In the context of employment law, if a party does not comply with an order which is made against them, they may have a costs order, a preparation time order or an order to strike out all or part of their claim or the response issued against them.

The consequences of not complying with an order in civil litigation will vary depending on the circumstances, but from 1 April 2013, the overriding objective in CPR 1 was amended to expressly include the need to enforce compliance with rules, practice directions and court orders (CPR 1.2(f)). It is expected that the courts will now take a stricter approach to non compliance with orders. Parties may apply for relief from sanctions imposed by the court for failure to comply with any rule, practice direction or court order. On an application for relief from sanctions, the court must consider the criteria set out in CPR 3.9(1).