Ferrys Solicitors partner Tony Collier acted as spokesman for Dublin's criminal legal aid solicitors on July 21, 2026, after about 70 practitioners meeting at the Criminal Courts of Justice resolved to extend their planned two-day shutdown to a further three days the following week. Our criminal defence solicitors act for clients in the District Court, Circuit Court and Central Criminal Court, much of it under the criminal legal aid scheme.
Mr Collier said the decision to implement a shutdown of cases on Wednesday and Thursday in the CCJ was taken with "great regret".
"Every solicitor would much prefer to be in court representing their clients but that is simply not possible under the new legal aid scheme," he said.
The solicitors and the Law Society "are available at any time to meet and discuss these matters and to work towards agreement", he said.
The group's statement described "intransigence" by the Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, as "the major obstacle in the way of progress and resolution". Solicitor sources expected the Dublin action to be mirrored around the country.
Ferrys' role
Throughout the dispute Ferrys has been at the centre of the Dublin solicitors' response, with Mr Collier acting as their public voice. The firm's message has been consistent: solicitors want to work, the flat-fee scheme cannot be worked, and the solution is for the Minister to engage with the Law Society.
The scheme, operational since July 1, pays €520 per case irrespective of the number of court appearances, replacing €239.38 for a first appearance and €59.86 for each subsequent one. The Department says it was based on an average of five appearances per case and followed a review showing spending almost doubled between 2015 and 2024. The Law Society has called the review flawed and the model "unworkable".
Pressure from the bench
The Irish Times reported that at least two judges had warned solicitors that the Legal Services Regulation Act restricts them from ceasing to act for a client in custody previously assigned to them without court permission. Ferrys continues to represent clients assigned under the old scheme before July 1.
Some judges have continued to issue legal aid certificates without a solicitor's request. The Department said 178 certificates issued in the first two weeks of the scheme; solicitors disputed the number and noted it against more than 98,000 issued in 2025. Judge Desmond Zaidan in Naas said no certificates had been sought or granted there since the withdrawal began.