Ferrys Solicitors partner Tony Collier was quoted by TheJournal.ie on September 1, 2026, as criminal solicitors walked out of the District Courts in Dublin on the first day of full sittings after the summer recess. 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.
"We hope that the Minister will engage with the Law Society sooner rather than later to resolve this, this is resulting in backlogs and people being denied access to justice, it's impacting victims, accused persons and putting an extra cost on the State," Mr Collier said.
What the walkout looked like
TheJournal.ie's Eimer McAuley described chaotic scenes in the foyer of the Criminal Courts of Justice as more than 100 solicitors filed out onto the steps. A man detained after a public order incident was released on bail with no solicitor representing him and no Arabic interpreter present, so that nobody could understand what he was saying. He was carried out of court by gardaí, stripped naked in the foyer on release and was detained again.
One of the solicitors who witnessed it said the courts do not want to further detain people who have no representation, and that these are "exactly the kind of cases that involve many more appearances than the flat fee the Minister is offering covers".
That is Ferrys' case in a single incident. A client in that situation needs an interpreter, a psychiatric assessment, possibly a fitness-to-plead hearing, and contact with family. Each step is a court appearance. Under the scheme introduced on July 1, the solicitor is paid €520 for all of them.
'Nobody else works for free'
Amanda Connolly of Connolly Finan Fleming Solicitors said the dispute was "a turning point in the criminal justice system". "If we go to court, the gardaí get paid, prison officers get paid, judges get paid, cleaners get paid, court staff get paid. But we're expected to work for free and run a business at the same time," she said.
The backlog
Court lists returned to a normal schedule on September 1 after reduced summer sittings. Already-deferred hearings were pushed back to December in some cases. The vote to continue the withdrawal through September means the backlog will grow.
Ferrys' position
The solicitors say they "want to get back to work" and have set out two specific changes that would see them return immediately. Mr Collier's message is that the resolution lies with the Minister engaging with the Law Society. The Minister, speaking on TheJournal's The Candidate podcast, said that every time he makes a concession the Law Society asks for more.