Justice Minister Delroy Chuck - Gleaner file photo
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Delroy Chuck
Attorneys representing the 33 accused in the One Don Gang trial are to meet with Justice Minister Delroy Chuck on Thursday amid complaints about their fees.
Some of the attorneys have called for the Legal Aid Council and the Ministry of Justice to review the cap on their fees.
The trial is expected to last for the Michaelmas Term, which ends in December.
Mr. Chuck told Radio Jamaica News he is prepared to listen to the attorneys' concerns and bring them back to Cabinet. However, he noted that legal aid "is not meant to be compensation at the private bar level; it's meant to be a contribution to attorneys to recover their expenses [and] a contribution from the private bar toward the constitutional protection of accused persons."
The Justice Minister warned that there will never be enough money to pay attorneys, arguing that the country has to balance the demand with government resources.
"The vast majority of public sector employees don't earn $100,000 and what we have provided is more than that. So, not that we don't think that attorneys (with their) professional skills and capability are to earn more. But we have limited resources to assist the many workers in the country," he sought to explain.
The maximum sum senior attorneys can be paid is $1.2 million.
The cap for junior attorneys is $800,000.
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