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A BARRISTERS’ STRIKE meant that a number of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trials did not begin today while the Central Criminal Court in Dublin did not sit at all.
A total of eight cases were listed for trial in court 7 in the Criminal Courts of Justice at Parkgate Street, with Court President Judge Patricia Ryan adjourning them all, most until tomorrow.
No barristers were present in court for the callover, with solicitors present instead to take note of the adjournments.
The Central Criminal Court did not sit today either, with trials due to resume tomorrow.
The strike, the second in a week, saw dozens of barristers gather outside the building to protest the level of fees paid to criminal practitioners, which they say were cut from between 28 and 60 per cent during the 2008 to 2011 period.
They are expected to withdraw their services again on Wednesday next, July 24. It is an escalation of strike action, which began in October 2023.
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They maintain the Government has failed to honour a commitment it made last year to carry out an independent review of fee rates.
A number of ‘devil’ barristers, who work at District Court level, joined their senior colleagues outside the building.
They made additional calls on the Government, asking for an immediate increase in pay to barristers working in the District Court, where solicitors pass them on work.
“Solicitors give work to early-years barristers like myself,” explained Áine Holt, who has been practising law as a devil barrister for the past two years.
“If you get an application, you’re given €27.72,” she said. “You might just get, if you’re lucky, one application, and that’s all you’re going to get for that particular day. The whole situation is unfair, unjust.”
Her colleague, Darren Lalor BL, said that if the cuts were unwound that fee would also go up, and it would give people like him an opportunity to remain in practice, and not just to rely on hope.
“We’re moving forward together,” he said. “But the reality is that a lot of people at my level cannot hang on to talk about pay restoration. They’re striking for the immediate increase.”
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Probably get suspended sentences or let out early if their guilty, so not as big an impact as would be if we had a properly functioning judicial and prison service anyway. Money for old rope.
@Eddie Garvey: could you do the job? Would you just prefer to see an end to trails, rambert judges in the criminal courts are drawn from the barristers.
@Éamonn OKane: well having seen some excellent barristers in action and some absolutely atrocious ones as well, I probably could do as a good a job as the atrocious ones, aside from that my comment was mainly aimed at the pointless nature and expense of dragging people through the courts to suspend their sentence for no good reason or to sentence them into a system that can’t accommodate them for the duration of their sentence.
@Sal Paradise: For once in your one year of posting here, you’re right, I’m retired. I’ve spent a lifetime working so that scr#&ts like you can spend all day on The Journal!
Their list of top earners is staggering & worthy of viewing when you consider their sob story. This rather elitist section of society just want more & more, totally removed from everyday life of ordinary working people. They are a section of society that didn’t experience austerity during the Troika era like everyone else. Part of our failed Judicial system that is failing victims of crime on a daily basis. I see ROG out batting for them as well, so no doubt they will be given what they want. Having witnessed some of these people in action & how they treated victims from various Inquiries & Tribunals, it’s sickening to watch them looking for more, greed.
@stella Ormes: That’s exactly what defence barristers do, only at the end of the process is guilt decided. If the defendant pleads guilty then you’re advocating, not defending.
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