Tánaiste promises Bill on legal costs

LEGISLATION DEALING with legal costs is expected to be published before the end of the year, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan told the Dáil.

She was replying to Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, who referred to The Irish Times report that the Taxing Master had granted only €393,472 of a €2.143 million legal bill.

Mr Gilmore said the 82 per cent reduction was on “a grossly excessive legal bill’’ from lawyers in a particular case, and the Taxing Master had expressed “his disgust and bewilderment’’ at the level of costs claimed.

The legislation, said the Labour leader, was promised to provide for the regulation and assessment of legal costs.

Mr Gilmore said given that an OECD report on legal costs, recommending reform of the legal profession was published in 2001, and a Competition Authority report was later published in the same area, the Government should bring forward the Bill.

He said this would ensure that the kind of practice the Taxing Master had described as grossly excessive could be brought to an end.

The Labour Party’s Pat Rabbitte asked about legislation dealing with judicial misconduct. He said that a report in The Irish Times earlier this week had set out the implications of not having such a Bill.

He said that when allegations made against a member of the judiciary had to be processed under a constitutional arrangement by an Oireachtas committee, a bill of €1.9 million had been received from lawyers for the judge concerned.

Mr Rabbitte said a personal injury case involving a modest award was processed through the courts accruing lawyers’ fees of €2.1 million. The Taxing Master thought it necessary to reduce the fees by 82 per cent.

“This is an unconscionable situation at a time when every other section in society has endured cuts,’’ Mr Rabbitte said.

Ms Coughlan said the draft heads of the judicial council Bill were currently being prepared and it was hoped it would be introduced next year.