MORE THAN €14 million was paid to senior and junior counsel last year by the Director of Public Prosecutions, new figures show.
The payout of €14.23 million represents a 17.7 per cent increase on the €12 million paid to counsel in 2006.
The highest payment was to Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, who successfully prosecuted Joe O'Reilly for the murder of his wife, Rachel.
He received more than €320,000 in fees to prosecute cases on behalf of the State in 2007.
The figures last year show that 39 senior counsel received €3.8 million in total while 116 junior counsel shared €10.3 million. This compares to 39 senior counsel receiving €3.5 million in 2006 and 128 junior counsel receiving €8.5 million in the same year.
Figures provided by the DPP show that the percentage amount paid to counsel last year from the DPP's overall spend of €34 million increased from 38 per cent in 2006 to 41 per cent.
Mr Vaughan Buckley was the lead prosecutor in the 20-day trial of O'Reilly last year. He was back in the Court of Criminal Appeal last week to challenge the grounds of appeal made by O'Reilly against his conviction.
The O'Reilly trial contributed to Mr Vaughan Buckley increasing his fees from the DPP last year by 58 per cent over 2006, when he received in total €208,879.
More recently, Mr Vaughan Buckley acted on behalf of the DPP in the Siobhán Kearney murder trial where her husband Brian Kearney was convicted of murder. He also acted in the case of former Killaloe doctor Paschal Carmody, where Mr Carmody is currently opposing the DPP's decision to seek a retrial on 11 outstanding charges.
Mr Vaughan Buckley also acted with the highest earning junior counsel, Dominic McGinn, in the case against John O'Brien, who was charged with the murder of his wife Meg Walsh, where Mr O'Brien was found not guilty.
The figures show that Mr McGinn received €322,796 in fees from the DPP last year - the second highest overall amount.
Others to feature prominently include Paul Anthony McDermott BL, who received €283,974 from the DPP.
A number of barristers to receive high amounts from the DPP also featured prominently in the amounts paid to counsel through the State's legal aid scheme in 2007.
These include Isobel Kennedy SC, who received €247,252 in fees from the DPP and €247,356 in legal aid payments for her work acting on behalf of defendants last year.
Senior counsel Brendan Grehan received €147,966 in fees from the DPP and also received the second highest amount in legal aid payments at €353,395, resulting in a total of €501,361.
Top earners 2007
Denis V Buckley €329,687
Dominic McGinn €322,796
Paul A McDermott €283,974
Isobel Kennedy €247,252
Thomas O'Connell €246,854
Pauline Walley €233,281
Fergal Foley €222,827
John O'Sullivan €220,295
Mary Rose Gearty €216,658
Seán Gillane €215,736
Paul Carroll €214,477
Remy Farrell €214,409
Aileen Donnelly €211,401
Donal McCarthy €207,405
Conor Fahy €191,385
* figures inclusive of VAT
