A criminal law barrister, paid over $1 million in legal aid over the past three years, has been suspended by the Legal Services Agency as debate heats up over the taxpayer-funded system.
Robyn Fendall was suspended by the agency this week for allegedly over-billing as a supervising duty lawyer at the Waitakere District Court in west Auckland, The Weekend Herald reported.
Ms Fendall had appealed the decision.
The suspension follows weeks of debate about the growing legal aid bill and calls for reform in the way the justice system is funded.
The legal aid bill for 2010 is estimated to rise to $144 million, it was $85 million five years ago.
Justice Minister Simon Power has commissioned a review of legal aid and a discussion document issued recently said legal aid in criminal courts, particularly in Auckland, was characterised by "inefficiencies and poor service".
Legal aid lawyers were accused of turning up for court unprepared, over-committing themselves with cases and seeking unnecessary adjournments.
However, Criminal Bar Association president Anthony Rogers told the newspaper it was regrettable that the discussion paper did not acknowledge the "utter dedication and professionalism" shown by most lawyers.
