Solicitors to withdraw services for two days in legal aid fee dispute

Criminal defence solicitors across Ireland are set to escalate their dispute with the Minister for Justice by staging a complete withdrawal of services for two days this week. The action targets a new flat-fee payment model for legal aid, which solicitors argue was imposed without adequate consultation.

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This action being taken by solicitors is to encourage the Minister to engage fully with the solicitors’ representative, the Law Society.

The protest will see all criminal defence solicitors cease their work in the District Court, Circuit Court, and the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday and Thursday. This follows a period of increasingly bitter disagreement over Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan's decision to replace the previous system, where solicitors were paid for each court appearance, with a new set fee of €520 per case, regardless of the number of appearances.

Solicitors are also threatening further action, with a potential withdrawal of services planned for the final week of the legal term, from July 27 to 31. Tony Collier, a partner at Ferrys Solicitors, stated that the dispute was initiated by the imposition of the new legal aid model. He emphasized that the solicitors' representative body, the Law Society, is seeking full engagement with the Minister.

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The Department has stated that just 174 certificates issued since 1 July. In comparison, 98,230 legal aid certificates were issued in 2024 and 98,617 in 2025 - an average of about 1,800 per week, or 3,600 over an average two-week period. Measured against this baseline, the current figures represent a collapse of over 90% in the volume of certificates being issued, indicating that cases are not progressing through the court system.

The Department of Justice claims that 179 solicitors, just over 20% of panel members, have resigned. However, the Law Society disputes this, calling the reported drop in legal aid certificate issuance a "collapse." They point to figures showing only 174 certificates issued in the first two weeks of July, a drastic reduction from the usual average of 3,600 over a similar period. The Law Society criticizes the Department for downplaying the disruption and its impact on court users.

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It was very disappointing that the Department of Justice appears to be seeking to downplay the scale of this disruption and its impact on court users, rather than engaging constructively with the concerns raised by solicitors.