Cabinet Approves Increase In Fees For Lawyers Empanelled By LAC

Cabinet has approved an increase in fees for attorneys-at-law empanelled by the Legal Aid Council (LAC) equivalent to 15 to 25 per cent of the market rate for private lawyers.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, says the increase is in keeping with Section 4 (2b) of the Legal Aid Act.

The Minister was speaking during Wednesday’s (September 22) post-Cabinet digital media briefing.

Mrs. Williams said Cabinet also approved the introduction of the new fees under the restructured areas of the tariff regime, and for these to be prescribed under the Legal Aid Act for payment to empanelled attorneys.

The Minister said approval has also been given for the issuing of drafting instructions to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for Regulations to give effect to these undertakings.

“The rationale for an increase in the tariff of fees was as a result of the current wide disparity between fees payable at the private bar and fees applied by the Legal Aid Council to empanelled attorneys who offer legal-aid services,” Mrs. Williams indicated.

She said the wide disparity impacted the Council’s ability to meet the demand for services, “as attorneys may opt not to take on the legal-aid assignment”.

“Obtaining an increase in the tariff of fees would allow the Legal Aid Council to ask their attorneys-at-law to accept cases of indigent accused persons in a timely manner,” the Minister further argued.

Mrs. Williams pointed out that the Legal Aid regime seeks to guarantee the Constitutional rights of all accused persons to a fair trial, regardless of their ability to pay for legal representation.