Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

General Scheme of the Multi-Party Actions Bill 2017: Discussion

9:00 am

Mr. Dave Coleman:

The main one is champerty where a party partakes in an action with a personal gain in mind. For example, if there is a solicitor-client fee in a multi-party action where we are precluded from mentioning percentages but there is a €10,000 reward, there may be a fee between the solicitor and client of €1,000. In some eyes, that is deemed to be having a personal interest in the case, as opposed to a legal interest in the case, but they cannot be separated. One is entitled to charge a solicitor-client fee under the rules of court. Once again, it is in the toolbox of a defendant to play the man and not the ball.