Madam, - Your Legal Affairs Editor, Carol Coulter reports that Taxing Master Charles Moran has written to the Law Society and the Bar Council pointing out that fee notes had been submitted in five cases by junior counsel for attendance in court even though they were not actually in court on the days in question.
Responding to the criticism, the Bar Council has agreed to advise members that charging a fee for a day in which the barrister was absent was "professional misconduct".
I expect that, were a case to come before the court involving systematic overcharging by any other business or profession, the prosecuting barrister would more accurately describe it as fraud. - Yours, etc,
PHIL CARBERY, Celbridge, Co Kildare.