Minister Michael McGrath has told the Bar Council that he is giving his "personal attention" to the question of restoring criminal legal aid fees for barristers and that a decision will be made in the coming weeks. The DPER minister had a private meeting with the representative body last week.
As senior public servants line up for a fresh round of pay hikes, barristers say the talent pool is dwindling in criminal practice due to "pitiful" fees that remain at 2002 levels. DPER wants proof of recruitment and retention issues.
Subscription arrears at the Bar of Ireland are at their highest since 2010, the depths of the last recession. The impact of Covid belies deeper anxieties about the future of the profession, writes Legal Editor Francesca Comyn.
Six months into the role, the chair of the Bar Council Maura McNally talks about virtual law, priority vaccinations for barristers, low litigation figures, and why the Bar Council hasn’t ruled out selling its property portfolio.
Covid-19 restrictions on court sittings have caused "carnage" in the Law Library with earnings down by as much as 95 per cent. If business doesn't resume fast, some practitioners may not get through the crisis.
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