Solicitors to Stop Taking Free Legal Aid Cases Over New €520 Flat Fee

Solicitors are expected to disrupt court work by ceasing to take free legal aid cases tomorrow, protesting new fee reforms. The Minister for Justice plans to replace the current payment system of €239.38 for the first court appearance and €59.86 for subsequent hearings with a once-off flat fee per defendant.

Initially, the department proposed a €455 flat fee. However, Minister Jim O'Callaghan is expected to propose a higher fee of €520 per client to the Oireachtas Committee on Justice today. Solicitors, particularly in Cork, have expressed significant anger, with many threatening to resign en masse from the free legal aid scheme.

Thomas Coughlan, principal at Thomas Coughlan and Co Solicitors in Cork, stated he and other lawyers in his practice will withdraw from the legal panel tomorrow. He anticipates that every solicitor on the legal aid panel in Cork will follow suit, preventing new criminal legal aid cases from proceeding in Cork courts. Coughlan refuted claims that multiple payments incentivize additional hearings, explaining that judges oversee adjournments and require valid reasons.

He emphasized that their work involves extensive preparation beyond court appearances, including reviewing disclosure materials and client meetings, which the proposed «one and done» fee does not adequately cover. The Council of the Law Society of Ireland held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.