Legal aid fee dispute cuts Irish lawyers' earnings by €6.6 million
Lawyers on Ireland's criminal legal aid panel have seen payments fall by €6.64 million in July and August after protesting a new €520 flat fee.
A dispute over a new €520 flat fee for District Court criminal legal aid cases has led Irish solicitors on the government panel to halt most work from early July, leaving only custody and protocol matters covered. As a result, total criminal legal aid payments for July and August fell to €12.5 million, €6.64 million less than the €19.15 million paid in the comparable period of 2025. Solicitors received €6.47 million this year versus €9.63 million a year earlier, and barristers' earnings dropped from €9.5 million to €6.02 million.
The service withdrawal has caused thousands of case adjournments, and senior judges have been warned the stalemate will likely extend into the new legal year beginning in October. Minister Jim O’Callaghan disclosed the numbers in a written response to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, while Dublin solicitor Michael Hennessy, the highest-paid panel member last year, continues his protest, calling the new scheme fundamentally unfair.
Why it matters
The funding cut threatens the functioning of Ireland's criminal courts and access to justice.
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