Barristers have been told that a demand to give back thousands of euros in Covid grants paid in error may be unlawful, according to correspondence seen by The Irish Times. A total of 500 barristers have been affected, said the Bar Council, 150 of whom have been asked to repay the funds. To qualify for the grant, barristers had to be earning less than €100,000 per annum and had to have lost at least 25 per cent of their income due to Covid-19. In October, the Bar Council told barristers that while each individual had to determine whether they were eligible, members were paying a percentage of commercial rates through their fees. They were also told members had access to seating in seven commercially ratable buildings as a result of paying their fees.

Source: The Irish Times November 24, 2020 03:00 UTC