Bloody Sunday lawyers’ fees near £70m

NEARLY £70 million has been paid to lawyers at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

Fees to barristers and solicitors' firms have eaten up £67.4m more than half of the £127m spent on the inquiry so far. The final bill is expected to top £155m.

Two top barristers have earned more than £3m apiece and even a couple of junior counsel topped the £1m mark.

Madden and Finucane, the solicitors representing the families of the majority of those killed and injured, have been paid £6.5m and London-based solicitors Eversheds, which took witness statements for the inquiry, received £12.6m.

Christopher Clarke QC, lead counsel for the inquiry received the highest amount for an individual £3,721,971.