North taxpayers fork out £72m in legal aid

A massive £72m (€86.12m) in taxpayers’ money was paid out to barristers and solicitors in the North in legal aid payments last year, it was revealed today.

For the first time, the Legal Services Commission in the North detailed who got what and how much.

But it was not a full list, only the top 100 earning solicitors’ firms and top 100 earning barristers were listed.

However the Commission said they accounted for some 92% of the total money paid out.

Chairman Jim Daniell said: “This is a day the Commission has been looking forward to for some time.”

He said it was part of the commission’s commitment to the principles of openness and transparency and to ensuring such information was widely available on a routine basis.

The decision to publicise such detailed lists is in large part a response to a growing number of requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

There has been a huge rise in the money paid out to lawyers to defend people in both criminal and civil cases over the past 15 years – up from some £22m (€26.3m) in 1992-93 to the £72m (€86.12m) of the last financial year.

Because of the delays in getting legal aid bills sorted out, details of individual payment to lawyers published cover the years 2004-05 and 2005-06.

The same Belfast-based solicitors’ practice – Kevin Winters & Co – topped the list in each year, receiving a total of £2,483,117 (€2,969,351) in the first year and a slightly smaller £2,123,072 (€2,538,804) in the next.

In second place both years was another Belfast practice – Trevor Smyth and Co - who were paid £1,714,590 and £1,521,488 in the two years.

In third place in the first year was the Tiernans practice in the small South Armagh village of Crossmaglen which was given £1,147,117 in the first year before disappearing from the Top 100 altogether the next year.

Mr Daniell said: “I must stress that amounts paid to each barrister and solicitor’s practice listed may represent payments for work covering a number of years and for a variety of cases.

“It is also important to bear in mind that the amount an individual receives year on year can fluctuate widely.”