Barristers paid more than €19m in fees by Chief State Solicitor’s Office last year

Barristers were paid more than €19.1 million in legal fees by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO) last year.

The highest payment to an individual barrister was €613,070, according to figures released to The Irish Times.

The data shows that less than €100,000 was paid to 299 of the 354 barristers who received fees.

Thirty-five barristers were paid between €100,000-€199,000; 13 got between €200,000-€299,000 and one was paid between €300,000-€399,999. Three received between €400,000-€499,000 while another three were paid more than €500,000. The highest payment was €613,070 and the lowest was €184.

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A total of €221,666 was paid to 35 solicitors, with the payments ranging from €246 to €26,501, bringing the office’s total bill for fees to €19.3 million last year.

In response to a request for the identities of individual barristers and solicitors paid by the office, including the highest paid, a spokesman for the Government Information Service said: “The CSSO is satisfied that there continues to be no clear legal basis for it to release individual personal data.”

A constituent element of the Office of the Attorney General, the CSSO provides litigation, advisory and conveyancing services to government departments and offices and some State agencies.

It also provides solicitor services at tribunals and commissions of inquiry and represents Ireland at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The legal fees are paid for, among other things, advising and representing State bodies in immigration and asylum matters; judicial reviews; commercial and employment contracts and litigation; constitutional and State litigation and European Union law. The CSSO is also involved in general litigation where damages are sought on grounds including breaches of constitutional rights.

The justice division of the CSSO provides an independent, in-house solicitor service to the Criminal Assets Bureau. It’s Garda litigation section deals with civil cases against the force, including claims for damages for assault.

The CSSO operates separately from the State Claims Agency, which deals with medical negligence litigation against the HSE in addition to claims concerning personal injuries in public places. It does not pay the legal costs incurred by the State Claims Agency or by several other bodies including the Central Bank and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.