Council spends €1.7 million on barristers’ fees

A

?¬1.78 MILLION pay out by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on fees to barristers over a five-year-period has prompted calls for an expenditure review.

The council revealed recently that it spent the sum on fees to junior and senior counsels between 2007 and 2011.

The figures show how fees for the highest earner over the five year period came in at

?¬301,470. The next highest paid barrister earned

?¬284,055 while another well known name earned

?¬205,278 from the local authority.

The details of the expenditure were released in response to a written question submitted to the council by Cllr Victor Boyhan (Ind).

The significant spend has prompted Cllr Boyhan to call on the local authority to publish details of its expenditure on barristers’ fees on an annual basis.

Cllr Boyhan welcomed the council’s decision to release the figures, which he said he had first sought in early February.

“I will be seeking an annual account of what barristers are paid by the council,

? he said.

“It is my intention on a yearly basis to put down a request because it is a very large amount of money.

?

He questioned whether such sums were

“always necessary

? and urged the council to review the amount it spends on legal fees.

“This strikes me as a lot of money,

? he stated.

“I think the council does need legal advice from time to time. But I just think it is important that we get value for money.

“I would take the same view about external consultants. I intend putting down another question about consultants because I think we need to see how our money is being spent.

?

Cllr Richard Humphreys (Lab) said he did not think the level of expenditure was excessive considering the sheer volume of legal work that the council is obliged to engage in.

“Access to the law should be affordable but you have to bear in mind the sheer quantity of activity the council is engaging in,

? he said.

“Everybody is against excessive fees but there is absolutely nothing to suggest that

?¬1.78 million is excessive when you look at the amount of work that is being done over a long period.

?

A council spokesperson said the evaluation of counsel fees was an

“on-going exercise

?.

She said the council’s expenditure on legal fees takes into account several factors including the degree of specialist knowledge that barristers bring to a particular issue and the degree of complexity of the matters involved.