Government has paid $254.78 million in legal aid fees since the Legal Aid Council came into being.

Glen Cruickshank, Q.C., executive director of the council, made the disclosure last month at a function put on by the Phillippo Baptist Church Legal Aid Clinic.

Mr. Cruickshank said that even though the fees that were paid to attorneys-at-law for legal aid were nowhere where they could demand and get on the open market, there were still more than 290 dedicated attorneys-at-law who do legal aid work .

"We often hear about attorneys who fall foul of the law, but we seldom hear of that dedicated band who gives of their time and effort as well as skill to help others," he said. He paid tribute to the attorneys-at-law at the Phillippo Baptist Legal Aid Clinic and to others islandwide who were giving free legal service to their fellowmen.

The Duty Counsel Scheme was introduced under the Legal Aid Act and the scheme provides legal representation to persons detained or arrested. Mr. Cruickshank disclosed that approximately 150 attorneys-at-law were on the list to act as duty counsel. He said the list with the names of the attorneys-at-law was sent to all the police stations islandwide.

The service offered by duty counsel was very important and Mr. Cruickshank said that, without the benefit of legal advice during detention, persons may be taken advantage of or sometimes out of fear or ignorance may incriminate themselves.

He advised the police that, when a person was taken into custody before he was interrogated or charged, the police had an obligation to inform him that he had a right to have an attorney-at-law present. Mr. Cruickshank said "if he has no attorney, then the police officer should select one of those attorneys whose name is on the list at that station and contact him or her for the person detained."