High Court judge criticises ‘enormous’ legal fees in judgment

He made the remarks in a case where a woman in her 70s failed to pay legal fees of €176,433 after going to the High Court over a dispute concerning an auction of certain lands.

In a judgment published last week, Mr Justice Max Barrett said: “This indicates that the fees payable by Ms Lawless comprise, inter alia, €120k of solicitors’ fees, almost €40k of fees for Senior Counsel, and €24k for junior counsel.

“These are enormous, though not at all untypical, fees that point to a continuing deficiency in our legal system whereby full and proper legal representation, at least in civil proceedings, is increasingly a boon that is properly affordable by the few who are rich, and a bane to be feared by the many who are not.”

Towards the end of the judgment, he added: “In the facts of this case, the court sees, yet again, a need for a more general re-assessment of the appropriateness of the scale of legal fees that now seem so regularly to be charged for legal representation, as well as a further reminder of the need for so-called ‘ordinary’ people to be vigorously watchful of the costs that are incurred by them towards professional advisors in the course of legal proceedings.”