It was "unjustified" and "gratuitously offensive" for a High Court taxing master to describe as "Lilliputian" the work done for the beef industry tribunal by solicitors representing the former Tanaiste, Mr Dick Spring, and the former Labour MEP, Mr Barry Desmond, the High Court was told yesterday.
Mr Charles Meenan SC, for the solicitors' firm of Spring Murray and Co (which includes Mr Spring's brother, Donal), said the costs awarded to his clients for their work in representing both Mr Spring and Mr Desmond were "completely unjust".
In May 1999 a taxing master of the High Court, Mr James Flynn, increased from £320,000 to £485,000 the instruction fee for Spring Murray and Co. The original solicitors' bill submitted was for £785,000 but in July 1998 this was more than halved by Mr Flynn, when he allowed fees of £320,000. In a second ruling, in May 1999, he increased the figure to £485,000.
Mr Meenan yesterday told the court, which was hearing an application for further review of the costs, that in his first ruling the taxing master had used language which was offensive. He had compared the work of the Spring-Desmond solicitors to that of other lawyers before the tribunal and had characterised their work as "Lilliputian" in comparison to that of the other lawyers.
That characterisation of the work done by them was unjustified and gratuitously offensive, Mr Meenan said.
The hearing continues.