Legal Costs

A legal services contract which sets out no cost details except for an hourly rate does not meet EU rules on drafting contracts in "plain, intelligible language", the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. In a ruling handed down yesterday, the CJEU said a contract must allow the c

A major new report jointly commissioned by the Law Society of Ireland and The Bar of Ireland has recommended a system of non-binding guidelines for legal practitioners as the best means of controlling costs while ensuring fair and equal access to justice. The independent report was produced by EY an

The State has been ordered to pay 50 per cent of costs in a High Court case it won outright because it did not seek to have an eligibility point dealt with as a preliminary issue. In a judgment published last week, Mr Justice Michael Twomey criticised the State for allowing the case to go on trial o

Proposed measures to reduce the cost of civil litigation in Ireland could backfire and result in "severe restrictions on access to justice for ordinary citizens", the Bar Council and the Law Society have warned. In a joint submission to economic consultants Indecon, the professional bodies said the

William Fry partner Richard Breen examines a recent High Court judgment which departed from the normal measure of costs. In a recent ex tempore judgment in a landlord and tenant dispute (Dipcot Holdings Ltd v Euro General Unreported, ex tempore, High Court, O’Hanlon J., 28 June 2021) the High

Government plans to bring down legal costs should be "accelerated" to make the Irish economy more competitive and productive, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) has said. In its 2021 report, the NCPC – which reports to the government – said the cost of legal ser

The Supreme Court has ordered Quinn Insurance Limited to provide security for costs to PricewaterhouseCoopers, whose legal bill stands at €30 million in the long-running dispute. In reaching this decision, the court reiterated the proper approach to security for costs (SFC) applications and out

The High Court has granted an application for security for costs against an impecunious company suing for €228,000. The company was ordered to pay 80 percent of the defendant’s costs, which were estimated at €231,000. In delivering the judgment, Mr Justice Michael Twomey was highly c

The High Court has held that the general “costs follow the event” rule applies in regulatory disciplinary matters which come before the courts. Background

The High Court has ordered that Ryanair must pay the State’s fees in its unsuccessful challenge of the legality of the Government of Ireland’s coronavirus travel advice. Background

The Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered by its president, Mr Justice George Birmingham, has allowed the State’s appeal challenging an order that it pay half the legal costs of a murder victim’s family. Background

Dublin solicitor Barry Magee has been appointed as a legal costs adjudicator. Mr Magee will join chief legal costs adjudicator Paul Behan and legal costs adjudicator Niall Hanlon, who were appointed to the newly-established office last October.

The cost of litigation in Ireland should be brought down by fee guidelines, the civil justice review group chaired by former High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly has reportedly recommended. Mr Justice Kelly was appointed in 2017 to chair a group to review and reform the administration of civi

The Office of the Legal Cost Adjudicator settled 62 per cent of case costs, its first annual report shows. It reached settlements in costs of €47.5 million, adjudicated in €9m, while €33m remained adjourned.

Legal costs in motor insurance claims rose slightly to €112 million in 2018, according to new figures from the Central Bank of Ireland. In total, there were legal costs of €112,275,745 in 2018 in relation to 4,714 claims taken through the courts.