law

He recommended that the Circuit Court be abolished and its functions shared between the High Court and an expanded district court system.

Speaking at the 21st anniversary conference of the << Legal>> Aid Board in Tralee this weekend, Mr McDowell accused Irish lawyers of being "too trigger happy" and urged the << legal profession>> to take a closer look at alternative ways of resolving disputes.

The << legal>> mindset in Ireland was adversarial and combativeness was ingrained, he said.

"We have to, as a << legal>> community agree that we are a bit trigger happy to go down the litigation side," he remarked.

The Attorney General said it was sometimes difficult to find a judge in the Four Courts after 11.30am.

However Judge Peter Smithwick said if Mr McDowell wished to visit Dolphin House he would find judges sitting until 7 pm.

The Government's << legal>> advisor also underlined the need for better case management and for an end to a system of "trial by ambush", u...