The Irish Independent's Legal Affairs Editor, Shane Phelan, reported on July 13, 2026 that the row over the new payment model for criminal defence solicitors had deepened significantly after more than 100 practitioners in Dublin indicated they intended to resign from the criminal legal aid panel, a move the paper said was set to cripple the criminal courts in the capital. Our criminal defence solicitors represent clients at every stage of criminal proceedings, from Garda station advice through District Court hearings.
Ferrys Solicitors was among the Dublin firms represented at the meeting in the Criminal Courts of Justice that afternoon, and partner Tony Collier delivered the solicitors' statement afterwards.
Why Ferrys resigned
Resigning from the panel is not a step any criminal defence firm takes lightly. The panel is how District Court judges assign legal aid to a solicitor, and being on it is how Ferrys has represented clients who cannot afford a lawyer for decades.
Mr Collier explained that the terms of the new scheme "do not address the complex needs of our clients or take account of the cost of providing effective criminal defence representation", and that people who appear before the courts are often the most vulnerable and require public assistance to fund their defence.
"The Minister has forced solicitors to withdraw our services because of his failure to engage properly with us," he said. "The concerns raised by solicitors have been ignored."
The practical problem
From July 1 the scheme pays a flat €520 per client, regardless of the number of charges or appearances, and pays it only at the end of the case. Under the previous model a solicitor was paid €239.38 for a first appearance and €59.86 for each subsequent one. For the clients Ferrys most often represents under legal aid, whose cases can involve many remand dates driven by addiction services, psychiatric assessments or prosecution delays, the flat fee falls far below the cost of turning up.
What Ferrys wants
Mr Collier said all solicitors were ready to engage with the Minister to try to resolve the dispute and hoped a fair and reasonable solution could be found. Ferrys' aim is a scheme that reflects the work actually done, agreed through the Law Society, so that the firm can return to the panel and to full representation of legally aided clients.