Seven of 10 best paid barristers on State Claims panel

A LIST of the 10 best paid barristers from the public purse is dominated by counsel who acted on behalf of the State Claims Agency (SCA).

The data was compiled based on figures gathered from 220 public bodies using the Freedom of Information Act.

Seven of the top 10 earners for 2016 were on the panel of barristers used by the SCA to deal with personal injury and property damage compensation claims against

54 State authorities. Although 208 barristers shared in €9.46m in fees paid to legal counsel in 2016, over half of these fees were divided between just 10 barristers.

The top earner in 2016 was professional indemnity and medical negligence specialist Emily Egan SC, who earned just over €1m.

Some €994,535 of this stemmed from fees paid by the SCA. She also did work for An Bord Pleanála, the National Lottery regulator and the Medical Council.

Ms Egan earned a further

€429,412 for SCA work in the first six months of this year.

A graduate of Trinity and Oxford, she has featured among the top earners in relation to SCA work for several years.

She was a contributor to the Citizens Assembly hearings during which she delivered a speech on the role of the Eighth Amendment in medical decision-making.

The next highest earner from State work in 2016 was Declan Buckley SC, who was paid €886,940.

In the first six months of this year, he was paid a further €502,197 by the SCA.

Barrister Nuala Butler, who earned €703,306 in 2016, also did work for the SCA.

But the bulk of her earnings came from representing An Bord Pleanála (€320,440) and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office

(€271,425).

The fourth highest earner, junior counsel Brian Foley, earned €653,083, of which

€337,595 was from the SCA and €243,006 was for work on behalf of An Bord Pleanála.

The fifth highest earner from State work was Eoin McCullough SC on €625,072, of which €503,391 came from work for the SCA.

Senior counsel Adrienne Egan earned €613,753 from State work last year, with

€596,858 paid by the SCA. The best paid criminal law barrister was Dominic McGinn, who was the lead prosecution counsel in the Sean FitzPatrick loans trial. He earned €603,023, of which €429,034 was for work on behalf of the DPP.

Senior counsel Remy Farrell SC earned €602,470 for work on behalf of six different State authorities and defence work under the criminal legal aid schemes.

Defence counsel Patrick Gageby SC earned €553,724 last year, €457,490 of which came from defence work under the legal aid schemes.

Paul O’Higgins SC, who has prosecuted a number of trials dealing with events at the former Anglo Irish Bank, earned €511,935, with

€449,623 coming for work on behalf of the DPP.

The figures are pre-tax earnings and include Vat.