Lawyers give cautious welcome to legal fees proposals

THE Bar Council and the Law Society have given a cautious welcome to Government plans to change the way solicitors and barristers charge for their work.

The changes are based on a report by the Legal Costs Working Group, set up to examine ways of reducing civil legal costs.

It recommends the establishment of a regulatory body, a written assessment process and a system to allow for oral appeals, while the group suggests that lawyers’ fees be broken down into itemised parts.