Ferrys Solicitors partner Tony Collier gave RTÉ the solicitors' response on June 29, 2026 after the Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, confirmed he would proceed with a flat-fee model for District Court criminal legal aid, raising the fee from the proposed €455 to €520. 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.
Speaking after a virtual meeting of more than 300 criminal legal aid solicitors, Mr Collier said the Minister was treating criminal law solicitors with contempt and ignoring submissions made by the Law Society.
He said blaming solicitors for delays in the District Court showed a fundamental lack of understanding of the system.
Mr Collier said the State was obliged to make provision for legal aid for people who could not afford a lawyer, and that private practitioners had, until now, provided a service to the State which was excellent value for money. He said it was very disappointing that the Minister had taken this approach.
Why a higher flat fee does not solve the problem
Ferrys' objection has never been solely to the figure. Solicitors provide legal aid services individually, and Mr Collier said discussions were now being held about whether they would continue to provide the service at all. A single fee, whether €455 or €520, still pays the same amount for a client with one charge and one appearance as for a client with multiple charges and a dozen remand dates, and it is still paid only when the case ends.
For a firm such as Ferrys, whose District Court caseload includes many clients with complex needs, that means the more time a client requires, the less the firm is paid per attendance.
Escalation expected
By this point Dublin solicitors had withdrawn from most work involving clients on bail and were not attending garda stations or taking calls from clients in garda stations. Cork solicitors had withdrawn from all criminal legal aid work except ongoing trials and said they would resign individually from the panel if the plan went ahead.
Mr Collier said he expected solicitors in Dublin would also decide that the time had come to increase the scope of their withdrawal of services.
The Minister's position
The Minister was to tell the Oireachtas Justice Committee that he had increased the fee having taken into account Law Society submissions that legal aid is often granted to more vulnerable people, which can affect the number of adjournments, and that his officials would keep the arrangements under review. The new regime took effect on Wednesday, July 1. The Council of the Law Society held an emergency meeting the same evening.