McDowell announces new body to regulate legal costs
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has announced plans to establish a new body to regulate legal costs as recommended by an expert working group.
Mr McDowell said last night that the body would replace the existing High Court 'taxing masters' and would assess costs based on the nature and work undertaken by solicitors and barristers.
The establishment of the regulatory regime is one of the main recommendations of the minister's working group on legal costs, which is due to publish its final report today.
Mr McDowell said the Government had decided to implement the recommendations and had appointed businessman and accountant Desmond Miller to oversee that process.
Meanwhile, he also announced plans to appoint a legal services ombudsman to deal with complaints against solicitors and barristers.
He said the ombudsman would create a new avenue of complaint for people who were unhappy with the outcome of complaints they make to the Law Society and Bar Council, which currently handle all complaints against the legal profession.
