Lawyers received €54.2m through criminal legal aid scheme

PAYMENTS TO the country’s barristers and solicitors through the criminal legal aid scheme last year totalled €54.2 million, new figures show.

The payments represent a 5.7 per cent or €3.3 million decrease on the highest ever aggregate payout to lawyers totalling €57.5 million in 2009.

The figures released by the Department of Justice yesterday show that solicitors received a total of €33.9 million in criminal legal aid payments last year – an 8.6 per cent or €3.2 million decrease on the €37.1 million paid out in 2009.

The drop in legal aid payments – inclusive of VAT – comes in spite of the numbers of solicitors receiving payments through the legal aid scheme increasing from 871 in 2009 to 900 last year.

The figures show that aggregate payments to the 630 barristers participating in the scheme dropped marginally last year from €20.4 million to €20.3 million.

The decrease in payments to lawyers follows an 8 per cent cut to fees in the legal aid scheme last year, which followed a previous 8 per cent cut in 2009 and a cancellation of a cost-of-living increase.

Last night, Labour spokesman for justice Pat Rabbitte said: “The 5 per cent reduction in the payments last year is not an adequate response from barristers and solicitors in the current climate when you consider the pain taken by people in so many areas.”

He added: “I don’t believe that the sheltered private sector that includes solicitors, accountants and the medical profession is providing the proportionate response to the times that we are living in.”

The figures show that six firms received between €750,000 and €950,000 with the top earning solicitor practice being Yvonne Bambury, which received €921,529.

The top earning barrister in the country was Limerick-based lawyer Brian McInerney who received €413,860.

The figures show that six barristers received between €300,000 and €400,000, with 12 receiving between €200,000 and €300,000.

Seven solicitor practices received payments of between €400,000 and €500,000 with five practices receiving payments of between €300,000 and €400,000.

The top earners among solicitors and barristers continue to be male dominated.

In the top 20 earners among solicitors, only three were women, while only one female features in the top 20-earning barristers.

Arising from last year’s 8 per cent cut in fees, a senior counsel now receives a “brief” or case fee of €7,919 for taking on a murder case in the Central Criminal Court – this covers preparatory work and the first day in court.

In rates for each subsequent day, senior counsel will receive a “refresher fee” of €1,736.

TOP 10 EARNERS

Solicitors

(Total – Gross incl VAT)

Bambury, Yvonne – €920,529

Buttimer, Frank A – €866,005

Hanahoe, Michael E – €813,469

O Higgins, Cahir – €796,778

Staines, Michael J – €784,920

Feaheny, John E – €752,727

Quinn, John M – €714,034

Flynn, Aine M – €482,329

Hannon, Michael Philip – €476,454 Kelleher Michael – €474,390

Barristers

(Total – Gross Incl VAT)

McInerney, Brian – €413,860

Bowman, Michael J – €366,382

Kelly, Kieran – €329,542

Grehan, Brendan – €311,739

O’Higgins, Michael – €311,054

O’Carroll, Blaise A – €308,975

Rea, Luigi – €300,056

Mark, Nicholas – €267,006

Gageby, Patrick – €258,979

Dwyer, Pádraig – €251,979