Northland legal aid up again

Legal aid payments to Northland lawyers continue to rise despite a reduction in the cost nationally for the first time in 10 years.

Figures released by the Legal Services Agency, which oversees the legal aid system, shows 61 Northland lawyers or law firms received a total of $8.08 million in the year to June 2011- an increase of $208,000 on the previous year.

The Ministry of Justice managed to reduce the amount paid to lawyers throughout New Zealand from $172 million in 2010 to $168 million for the year.

Ministry deputy secretary legal services Stuart White said 64,000 people accessed legal aid services in the 12 months compared with about 67,000 to the end of June 2010.

The three highest legal aid payments made to individual lawyers in 2011 were: $326,312 to Moana Tuwhare of Kerikeri; $310,370 to John Day of Whangarei; and $295,007 to Kerikeri's Catherine Cull. While the payments are made to an individual lawyer they may not necessarily get all the money as some of the work may be claimed by others in the same practice.

Whangarei husband and wife legal team Shaun and Melissa Russell were paid $314,991, while Kelly Hennessy of Kaikohe received $269,553.

Whangarei's Thomson Wilson was again the top-earning firm in Northland, receiving $819,131 or $72,565 more than in 2010.

The next two highest-earning firms were Whangarei's Family Law Centre, with $529,618 or $129,762 more than the previous year, and Cook Westenra in Whangarei with $432,553.

The payments to firms are for several lawyers and not necessarily to one person.

The payments include the fees of listed legal aid lawyers, including those claimed on behalf of other listed providers, and disbursements for general office and travel costs, and special disbursements.

Fees for agents, expert witnesses, forensic tests, interpreters and special reports, such as medical or valuation reports, are included.

Mr White said fewer people required legal aid, which was in line with a general reduction in cases before the criminal courts.

The cost of legal aid provided by private lawyers fell by 4.8 per cent, from $168.5 million in 2010 to $160.4 million in 2011, he said.

The drop was in part due to improvements to billing practices and the expansion of the Public Defence Services.

The Legal Services Agency is a Crown entity set up under the Legal Services Act 2000.

The act's purpose is to promote access to justice by providing a legal aid scheme for people who cannot afford a lawyer.

It also supports community legal services by funding community law centres, education and research.

Legal aid is government funding to pay for legal help for people who cannot afford a lawyer. It is available for people facing criminal charges, and those with a civil legal problem or family dispute (including family matters) that may go to court, as well as for Waitangi Tribunal.