Doctors earn more from personal injury cases than barristers, according to the Motor Insurance Advisory Board.
According to figures published by the board, a sample case before the Circuit Court involving an award of £7,500 would have costs of £7,618, if it required no more than one day in court.
The bulk of this, over £5,000, is solicitors' fees. It is made up of £2,700 to the claimant's solicitor and £2,400 to the defendant's solicitor.
The claimant's barrister would earn £514, and the defendant's barrister £660. However, the doctors for the claimant and the defendant would each earn £672 for two reports and a half-day in court.
Higher fees are sought, and obtained, by doctors appearing before the High Court, and by consultants.
The Irish Times has seen a fee demand from a consultant appearing in a High Court case outside Dublin. This was for €1,270 for one day, including expenses, with cancellations within 48 hours attracting the full appropriate fee.
According to legal sources, consultants regularly called upon to give evidence in court cases can earn many multiples of this in a day. This arises especially when the High Court sits outside Dublin.
The pool of consultants in the areas most concerned in personal injuries, like orthopaedics, anaesthesia and psychiatry, would be small, and the same consultant would often be asked to give evidence in a number of cases listed for that day. Each client would be billed separately.