Jim O’Callaghan and Law Society agree further talks on Irish legal aid dispute
Representatives will discuss possible changes to the District Court payment scheme from Friday after a dispute that has disrupted criminal courts.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and the Law Society agreed after a meeting on Wednesday, 28 October, to hold focused talks on the criminal legal aid payment scheme, according to The Irish Times. Their representatives are due to begin on Friday, 30 October, as a dispute over solicitors’ fees continues to disrupt criminal courts.
The agreement moves the dispute beyond the meeting previously scheduled between O’Callaghan and the society. The Irish Times reported that the Wednesday meeting lasted about an hour and that the society’s delegation was led by its president, Rosemarie Loftus.
What the legal aid talks will cover
Representatives of the Department of Justice and the Law Society are due to continue discussions into the following week. The department said they would consider adjustments addressing practitioners’ concerns while preserving the reform’s stated aims: faster case resolution and improved District Court operations. No change to the scheme was announced after Wednesday’s meeting.
The dispute centres on a €520 flat fee introduced on 1 July for District Court criminal legal aid work. It applies regardless of how many appearances a case requires; RTÉ reported that it replaced payments for individual court appearances. The Law Society says two proposed changes would resolve solicitors’ key concerns.
According to RTÉ, the society wants an additional payment for more complicated cases after ten court appearances. It also proposes separate payments for offences committed on different dates, limited to five per client, per court, per day. Those proposals are subjects for discussion, rather than agreed amendments.
How the dispute is affecting criminal courts
RTÉ reported that many criminal defence solicitors have withdrawn their services in protest and that the dispute has caused major disruption to criminal courts, particularly in Dublin. The Department of Justice acknowledged that the withdrawal of services by some solicitors was affecting the operation of certain criminal courts. The Law Society said the dispute was having a significant effect on the administration of justice and that it remained committed to reaching a resolution with the minister.
A separate legal question also remains before the courts. The Irish Times reported that the High Court is due to rule on Tuesday, 3 November, on Dublin solicitor John Quinn’s challenge to the legality of the payment scheme.
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Sources and context
- Minister and Law Society agree on ‘focused’ engagement aimed at resolving legal aid rowThe Irish Times
- Minister, solicitors to hold more talks in legal aid rowRTÉ News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.