The State paid out more than €40 million to barristers and solicitors through the criminal legal aid scheme last year, the highest amount ever paid under the system.
New figures reveal that solicitors shared €24.02 million in 2006, while barristers got €15.76 million between them. This compares with €37 million paid in criminal legal aid to barristers and solicitors in 2005, and €26.70 million paid in 2004. While the figures for payments to solicitors were published in February, figures obtained by The Irish Times show the breakdown and top earners from the ranks of barristers.
They show a total of €15.76 million was paid to 486 barristers in criminal legal aid in 2006. This is only slightly higher than the €15.49 million paid to 411 barristers in 2005 - but represents a 33 per cent increase on the 2004 payments of €11.57 million.
The figures show that six senior lawyers earned more than €300,000 each in legal aid fees in 2006. The highest earner was Brendan Grehan SC, who received €462,099, an increase on the €374,537 he was paid in 2005 when he was also the highest paid barrister under the scheme.
Mr Grehan led the defence team in the trial of Mayo farmer Pádraig Nally, who was convicted in 2005 of the manslaughter of John Ward.
The second highest payment last year of €380,017 was to Michael O'Higgins SC. He was the lead sponsor of a letter of protest to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, and signed by 140 barristers, over the Criminal Justice Bill. The letter protested against the Bill's provision for seven-day detention in certain cases, abridgment of the right to silence, and automatic mandatory sentences for a range of offences.
Barristers Isobel Kennedy, Brian McInerney, Luigi Rea and Martin Giblin all earned over €300,000 under the scheme last year while a total of seven counsel earned over €200,000 and 33 more earned over €100,000 from the State. Meanwhile, figures published in February show two Dublin-based solicitors were each paid more than €1 million under the criminal legal aid scheme last year.
The figures showed that the total amount paid to solicitors under the scheme in 2006 was €24.802 million, compared to €21.47 million in 2005 and €15.13 million in 2004. The highest earner was Michael J Staines, who was paid €1.543 million, followed by John M Quinn, who received €1.211 million. The civil legal aid scheme paid out €8.24 million in 2006.