Loss of confidence arising from earlier charge in court (4,4)
I believe the answer is:
cold feet
'loss of confidence' is the definition.
(getting cold feet means getting doubtful)
'earlier charge in court' is the wordplay.
'earlier' becomes 'old' (old can mean former or earlier).
'charge' becomes 'fee' (fee is a kind of charge).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'court' becomes 'ct' (abbreviation used in road names).
'old'+'fee'='oldfee'
'oldfee' going inside 'ct' is 'COLD FEET'.
'arising from' is the link.
(Other definitions for cold feet that I've seen before include "Loss of courage or confidence" , "You might have them if you're afraid to proceed" , "Chilly extremities due to fear" , "result of paddling in winter ?" , "Fear or reluctance due to chilled extremities" .)