Proposals put by the Minister for Justice to the Bar Council may resolve a long-running dispute over the late payment of fees in free legal aid criminal cases.
The dispute has threatened a plan to hold a special two-week vacation sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court from September 15th to deal with 16 criminal trials.
Barristers are refusing to take part in the sittings unless payment arrears are settled and a streamlined system replaces the present legal aid scheme.
Some barristers have claimed they are owed five-figure sums because of delays of up to two years under the scheme operated by the Department of Justice.
Yesterday, Bar Council chairman Mr John McMenamin SC appeared before the acting president of the Circuit Court, Judge Diarmuid Sheridan. Mr McMenamin said he had a meeting with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on Wednesday.
The Minister had put certain proposals to the Bar Council and time was needed to communicate these proposals to the criminal bar, he said.
Judge Sheridan said matters were getting perilously close to September 15th but he would not even consider interfering with the negotiations.
At a court sitting in August, he had hoped the issue would be resolved by yesterday's date, to prevent what he described as, inconvenience to jurors, court officials, gardai and the Chief State Solicitor's Office.
However, he agreed yesterday with Mr McMenamin and Mr Brendan Counihan, for the Attorney General, that to adjourn a final decision on the sittings for a week "may be productive".