budget 2024

Catherine Sanz: Increase in barrister fees a ‘first step’ towards making crime pay

The 10 per cent increase represents the unwinding of a cut introduced in 2011, the Bar Council claims

Sara Phelan, chair of the Bar Council: ‘The fact is that barristers have been treated differently to other workers in the criminal justice system’. Picture: Fergal Phillips

An increase in fees paid to barristers under the criminal legal aid system is a welcome “first step” which must be followed by a time-limited review process, the chairwoman of the Bar Council has said.

Speaking after provisions in the budget allowed for a 10 per cent rise in fees by early next year, Sara Phelan said this allocation represented the unwinding of a specific cut introduced in 2011.

But she said the unwinding of ...