After several days of closed-door talks, a deal has finally been struck to fund a legal defence team for accused serial killer Robert Pickton.

Pickton's lawyer Peter Ritchie said the agreement was reached Friday after several days of private talks.

Details of the settlement were not released.

Ritchie had earlier rejected an offer by the B.C. Attorney General's Ministry, saying that the fees of $150 an hour for himself and $72 an hour for junior lawyers were too low. He has proposed a top rate of $200 an hour.

The defence wants legal aid for six lawyers, while the province is proposing a lead counsel, two senior lawyers and any number of junior lawyers as long as their total hours are capped.

The talks had been conducted in open court, but reporters were unexpectedly booted from the courtroom on Wednesday to allow the talks to continue privately.

Pickton is currently without a lawyer; Ritchie quit last month because of the funding dispute. He still represents Pickton in his funding application.

Ritchie and the Crown will be in a Port Coquitlam court later today likely asking for a delay in Pickton's preliminary hearing, which is currently scheduled to go ahead on Tuesday.

B.C. Judge David Stone earlier ruled that the preliminary hearing would not be delayed even if Pickton's lawyer trouble was not sorted out by then. Pickton is challenging that decision, filing a writ asking for a delay in the preliminary hearing.

Crown lawyer Michael Petrie told reporters outside court that the writ is intended to "review" the decision of a provincial court judge earlier this week that the preliminary hearing start Tuesday.

The huge scope of the Pickton investigation was revealed earlier this week in a letter authorities sent to the families of victims.

The letter said a police search has found 8,600 exhibits at the pig farm owned by Pickton. Another 2,600 exhibits were found at a second property. Most of the exhibits are swabs that have been submitted for DNA testing.

The search of the pig farm continues, while the search at the other property Pickton co-owns ended in October.

Pickton is charged with the first-degree murders of 15 of 63 women who have disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.