Ferrys Solicitors partner Tony Collier spoke for Dublin's criminal defence solicitors on July 13, 2026 after a meeting at the Criminal Courts of Justice at which 100 practitioners agreed unanimously to resign immediately from the criminal legal aid panel and to provide no defence services under the new scheme. Our criminal defence team represents legally aided clients in the District Court every day and is directly affected by the scheme at the centre of this dispute.
"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," Mr Collier said.
"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. The concerns raised by solicitors have been ignored. The people who need proper access to justice the most will be prevented from gaining it as a result of these measures."
Mr Collier said all solicitors were ready to engage with the Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, to resolve the dispute. "We hope a fair and reasonable solution can be found," he said.
What this means for Ferrys' clients
Solicitors engaged in the dispute, including Ferrys, are not taking on new legal aid assignments under the scheme and are continuing to refuse to attend garda stations to advise suspects detained for questioning. Clients assigned under the old scheme before July 1, and juvenile clients, continue to be represented.
Ferrys' central objection, beyond the €520 figure itself, is that payment is made only at the end of a case regardless of when the solicitor became involved or whether they replaced another solicitor late on. A firm cannot plan staffing or cash flow around a fee it may not see for many months.
The consequences already visible
On the same day, the High Court released three more people on bail after hearing they had been refused bail in the District Court while unrepresented. Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty said no one should be detained unnecessarily while the legal arguments were heard. Senior Counsel Colman Fitzgerald said the role a defence lawyer plays in testing prosecution evidence should not be played by a judge.
The Minister's response
The Minister said he would not revoke the new fees system and would not bow to political pressure, though he reserved the right to make "tweaks". He said the €520 fee accounted for five hearings, which he said was the average under the scheme. The Taoiseach said the Government stood by the Minister.
Law Society President Rosemary Loftus said solicitors were resigning in "unprecedented numbers" and that a poll of 260 panel solicitors found just three continuing under the new scheme. She called the scheme "structurally unworkable".