The current system pays solicitors €239.38 per appearance per accused, and €59.86 for each subsequent court appearance.

The case was brought by Jennifer O'Carroll, chief operations officer of Limerick-based software group, HansaWorld, who had sought orders against the company lifting her suspension as director and company secretary and to stop alleged interference in her role as COO.

Darragh Mackin and Peter Corrigan of Phoenix Law said privacy is not a price they should have to pay for doing their jobs.

Cahir O'Higgins received €204,747 in legal aid fees during 2024