OLCA disallowed more than 40% of costs
The Office of the Legal Costs Adjudicators (OLCA) allowed just under 60% of legal costs claimed in its determinations last year.
The OLCA was set up in 2019 with the aim of modernising the system of determining legal costs and making the process more transparent.
Its shows that it received 912 valid applications seeking adjudication last year – down slightly from 1,015 in 2023.
The monetary value of the valid applications filed last year was €145.3 million – down from the previous year’s €163.6 million.
Total costs in completed cases, which include those that are settled before adjudication, came to €176.1 million.
Medical negligence tops costs list
The office made 179 determinations, compared with 181 in the previous year.
Of the 179 cases determined, the office allowed just under €20.5 million (58%) of costs out of a total of €35.3 million claimed.
During 2024, the category with the highest number of costs applications was road-traffic accidents (181), but the highest amount claimed (€42.9 million) related to medical-negligence cases.
The office said that the average waiting time from application for adjudication to initial hearing date remained at seven weeks, in line with the three previous years.
During 2024, the Government appointed Barry Magee as Chief Legal Costs Adjudicator, to replace Paul Behan, who had served since the office was established in 2019.