In early April, we made a submission to the District Court Rules Committee on District Court Schedule of Costs.

In this submission, the Law Society emphasises the importance of the Schedule of Costs remaining fair, transparent, and reflective of the practical realities of legal practice. The submission calls for a recalibration of professional fees and outlays so that they more accurately reflect the actual cost of work that is done, and the actual costs that are incurred. The submission invites the Committee to consider recommending the adoption of non-binding guidelines to regulate District Court professional fees as an alternative to a rigid, inflexible Schedule of Costs.

Systemic delays in Criminal Justice

Also in April, the Law Society engaged with consultants that have been commissioned by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to conduct a review of the processing of indictable offences in the criminal justice system.

We subsequently provided a submission to the review team which addressed some of the underlying causes of systemic delays in the prosecution of indictable offences and suggested a series of practical reforms to case management, disclosure, and legal aid practices.

Legalisation of Documents

Towards the end of April, the Law Society made a submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs on its Draft Policy Document on the Legalisation of Documents.

This submission was broadly supportive of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ draft policy but also highlighted a number of areas where change or clarification would be helpful for practitioners.

Irish merger and acquisitions notification thresholds

At the beginning of May, we made a submission to Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on proposed changes to merger and acquisitions notifications.

In our submission, the Law Society supported the proposal to raise the Irish merger notification thresholds to reduce the need for unnecessary filings.

In addition to proposing an increase in turnover thresholds, the submission suggested that the thresholds be reviewed on a more regular and transparent basis so that they remain aligned with inflation, market conditions, notification trends and enforcement experience.

What’s next?

The Law Society is currently developing its pre-Budget submission to Government and welcomes proposals from practitioners on matters that they wish to see being included.