COSTS of almost £3.2 million awarded to Mr Larry Goodman's meat group for the services of A. & L. Goodbody solicitors should be reduced by more than £1 million, the Taxing Master of the High Court was told yesterday.
The cost was "excessive" and represented the payment of premium rates for every day they attended the beef tribunal, the legal cost accountant for the State, Mr Peter Fitzpatrick, said.
In addition, the £545,000 allowed to Mr Goodman and his organisation for the services of Mr Rory O'Donnell & Co solicitors should be cut to £400,000, hue said.
Earlier, the Taxing Master requested A. & L. Goodbody to, reveal its normal hourly rate and, the hourly rate charged to Mr Goodman, following a submission from the State the previous day, but the hearing was told that no hourly rate existed nor was there an hourly charge-out rate to Mr Goodman.
The Taxing Master had set the hourly-rate figure of £2,997,975, the legal cost accountant for Goodman, Mr Arnold Lowe, said.
The Taxing Master, Mr James Flynn, was hearing the final day of an appeal by the State against the £7.6 million legal and other costs allowed to Mr Goodman and Goodman International following the beef tribunal.
Mr Fitzpatrick said an hourly rate usually received by solicitors should have been used to assess A. & L. Goodbody's fees.
This would have brought the bill to slightly more than £2 million and not £2,977,975. The additional fees of £100,000 for complexity and skill and £100,000 for effort and responsibility were excessive.
The £3, 197 million allowed should therefore be reduced by £1.197 million. Mr Lowe however said the tribunal's far-reaching nature necessitated the level of work and that the Minister for Finance was "clutching at straws".
All the work done by A. & L. Goodbody was absolutely necessary for the obtainment of justice for Mr Goodman and his companies and for the assistance of the tribunal.
"I would emphasise that we were the only party allowed full representation as the main player. It was the Goodman tribunal" said Mr Lowe.
Mr Lowe stressed that he had not sought an hourly rate and that the rates used by the Taxing Master were "entirely reasonable".
He also denied that the additional £200,000 allowed for skill, complexity, effort and responsibility on the part of A. & L. Goodbody amounted to "double remuneration".
Fees allowed for Mr Rory O'Donnell & Co solicitors included payments of £200,000 for preparatory work and £100,000 for complexity and difficulty.
A rate of £2,000 should be allowed for days during which the tribunal dealt with export credit, but not for days when it discussed other matters, he said.
A total of £112,000 should be allowed for the days when the company represented Goodman exclusively. For the remaining days it attend along with A & L. Goodbody, it should be paid an additional sum, bringing the total which should be allowed by the Taxing Master to £400,000, he said.
Mr Paul Behan, legal cost accountant for Goodman, said, £545,000 was commensurate with the responsibility involved and the complexity of the work. Export credit was the largest topic dealt with by the tribunal.
The Minister's objections to these legal costings should be dismissed, he said.
The Taxing Master said he would consider the matter and make his ruling soon.