Legal Aid Board: Fees Payable to Private Practitioners
The Law Society has been advised by the Legal Aid Board that the Department of Finance has sanctioned an increase in fees payable to private practitioners for legal aid work in family law cases in the District Court and in refugee cases. The new fees are 拢143.37, with a fee of 拢35.85 for each subsequent day. The unanimous recommendation of the Family Law and Civil Legal Aid Committee was that the Society should not endorse the participation of private practitioners at this level of fee.
The Society believes that the fee does not reflect in any way the amount of time involved in the preparation of a family law matter in the District Court or an appeal against a decision of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to refuse recognition of refugee status. The Society accepts that it is a matter for each individual solicitor to decide whether or not to participate in the scheme but the Society is encouraging solicitors to withhold their support pending the establishment of a realistic fee structure.