News & Insights
Consumer body calls for monitoring of legal profession
An independent regulatory body to oversee the legal profession must now be established, the Consumers Association of Ireland has said, The association slammed recent revelations that certain solicitors, who having been paid their full fees by the Residential Institutions Redress Board, allegedly double-charged vulnerable victims of abuse. As many as 80 complaints of over-charging have […]
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Law Society rejects redress board accusations
The solicitors’ representative body, the Law Society, has rejected accusations by the Residential Institutions Redress Board that it failed to respond properly to complaints of overcharging. The RIRB claimed the Law Society could have been more proactive by warning solicitors about deducting money from victims’ compensation awards. However, the Law Society Director General, Ken Murphy, […]
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Solicitors concede they illegally deducted cash from victims of abuse
A SOLICITORS’ firm has admitted ripping off victims of abuse. Limerick firm Mc Mahon O’Brien Downes is the only one to come forward since it emerged some solicitors illegally deducted payments from clients’ compensation. The firm, which last night admitted it overcharged clients, previously earned over €8.8m after defending 1,396 army deafness claims. If it […]
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Sore Users
Recent legislation promises to revolutionise personal injury cases in Ireland. We outlines the most significant changes The Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 introduces radical changes as to how personal injury (PI) actions are conducted in Ireland. Its aims are to ensure that cases are heard promptly, false or misleading claims are identified, those responsible […]
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Shortt awarded €1.9m for wrongful imprisonment
Donegal nightclub owner Frank Shortt, who was wrongfully jailed for more than two years, has been awarded almost €2 million by the High Court.
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PIAB Not Serving Plaintiffs
Two reports last week demonstrate conclusively how yet another group of Irish consumers, namely plaintiffs in tort actions, are being ripped off. Last Tuesday, the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), the body through which plaintiffs must now pursue tort actions, declared itself a success primarily because of the 75 per cent acceptance rate of its […]
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PIAB gives huge boost to insurance firms profits
The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) said last week that it is delivering personal injury compensation four times cheaper than lawyers are. The PIAB, which was set up last year to deal with all personal injuries claims in a bid to reduce legal costs, published its first annual report last week. According to Patricia Byron, […]
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