Civil servants criticised for failing to curb lawyers’ fees

THE country’s top civil servants have been criticised for failed attempts to tackle a “golden circle” of tribunal lawyers who made millions in legal fees.

It has also emerged that it may be several years before the issue of legal fees claimed against the Mahon Tribunal is finally decided.

The Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard how five barristers alone at the Mahon Tribunal have earned fees of between €3.5m and €5.3m. At Moriarty, two of the country’s top tribunal lawyers have earned €8.5m each while several more lawyers have mounted up fees of between €1.3m and €5.8m. At Morris, its top paid barristers have earned between €815,000 and €3.2m.