Top criminal legal aid lawyers earn over €690,000
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The top criminal legal aid lawyers in the State earned as much as €690,000 last year as total payments under the criminal legal aid scheme topped €68 million, new figures reveal.
Michael Bowman SC topped the table for senior counsel by a considerable margin with payments of €692,095 in 2021, with the next highest earner being Padraig Dwyer SC on €599,488.
Keith Spencer BL was the highest-earning junior counsel on €550,001, while the highest-earning solicitor’s practice was that of John M Quinn which received payments of €746,012.
A breakdown of the top-earning senior counsel, junior counsel and solicitor firms, provided to Irish Legal News by the Department of Justice, is included below.
Senior counsel
| Name | Payments (2021) |
|---|---|
| Michael J. Bowman | €692,095.52 |
| Padraig Dwyer | €599,488.54 |
| Michael O’Higgins | €442,242.82 |
| Seamus Clarke | €421,276.62 |
| Colman Cody | €389,221.06 |
| Mark Nicholas | €311,405.88 |
| Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha | €302,692.22 |
| Dean M. Kelly | €284,427.38 |
| Brendan Grehan | €273,371.85 |
| Dominic McGinn | €270,046.37 |
Junior counsel
| Name | Payments (2021) |
|---|---|
| Keith Spencer | €550,001.07 |
| Karl Monohan | €264,524.09 |
| Luigi Rea | €252,740.6 |
| Mark Lynam | €234,543.76 |
| Sarah-Jane O’Callaghan | €230,807.41 |
| Brian McInerney | €229,726.92 |
| Oisín Clarke | €209,641.53 |
| Eimer Carey | €200,965.97 |
| James O’Brien | €195,758.83 |
| Cathal McGreal | €188,087.31 |
Solicitors
| Name | Payments (2021) |
|---|---|
| John M. Quinn | €746,012.7 |
| Michael Hennessy | €683,602.88 |
| Aonghus McCarthy | €591,304.65 |
| Tracy Horan | €474,700 |
| Frank A. Buttimer | €467,171.73 |
| Kenneth Cunningham | €448,687.95 |
| Sandra Frayne | €445,174.65 |
| Yvonne Bambury | €430,492.95 |
| Ronald J. Lynam | €424,851.3 |
| John O’Doherty | €415,695.38 |
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