Official figures show that barristers and solicitors were paid €26.7m last year through the criminal legal aid scheme.
The amount, disclosed by the Department of Justice, is an 18% increase on the 2002 figure but is down €2m on what was paid in 2003.
In response to a Freedom of Information request, the Department of Justice revealed the three largest payments to solicitors were paid to Dublin firms working under the criminal legal aid scheme.
The figures do not include amounts paid to barristers and solicitors from the Legal Aid Board, which concerns legal aid for mainly civil cases.
