Government's bar bill

Crown keeping a tight rein on barrister expenses in NSW ... Funding for the bar virtually unchanged for two-and-a-half years ... Top fee last year for Crown Solicitor's civil work was $1,054,501.25 ... Full list of fees paid ... Another scoop from Justinian 

More barristers carving-up the same pool of Crown moneyTwo hundred and fifty nine barristers shared total payments for civil work from the NSW Crown Solicitor of $15.3 million for calendar 2012. 

From an eye-watering $1,054,501.25 in fees to John Marshall SC to $184.80 to a barrister by the name of Hanna. 

It works out at an average payment per brief of $59,175. 

Justinian was granted access to the information under GIPA.  

The top five earnings from the Crown's purse for 2012 were: 

• John Marshall SC, 6 Selborne/Wentworth; $1,054,501.25
• Richard Burbidge QC, State Chambers; $388,593.32
• Elliot Hyde, Banco Chambers; $327,937.50
• Ian Young, Maurice Byers Chambers; $284, 296.00
• John Maston, Nigel Bowan Chambers; $278,390.62 

In all, there were 50 barristers from the Sydney bar whose fees from the Crown Solicitor's Office were in six figures and one in seven figures. 

Encouragingly junior barrister did well overall, with 78 percent of those earning over $200,000 last year from the Crown being un-silked. 

Grand as it all seems, the situation is grim. Crown Sols outlay on the bar lifted a miserable $100,000 in two-and-a-half years. 

In the immediate past year virtually the same amount of money had to be spread between an extra 13 barristers, compared to the 2010 numbers. 

Little wonder people look wretched on the Street of Shattered Dreams. 

The 2010 list showed John Maconachie QC at the top of the pile at $549,942.52 (c.f. $241,243.76 in 2012). 

In 2010 Marshall was the fifth on the list at $298,476.75. 

Last time we published the Crown Solicitor's payments some barristers were upset that no details were provided of their hard work for the State. The editor was accosted in the street with incandescent complaints and gnashing of teeth.

This time Justinian emailed the top five earners for 2012 asking the nature of the civil work they did for the Crown. 

The responses must be lost in the mail. 

Research by Alix Piatek

Fees Paid to Counsel by Crown Solicitor