The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) yesterday published its Breaking Down Barriers reports, which include 32 recommendations for reform.

The Department of Justice has promised to publish an implementation plan for the recommendations within the coming weeks.

Seán Guerin SC, chair of the Bar Council, welcomed the report, which he said had confirmed the key findings of an earlier report prepared by EY in 2021.

He said: “We will review in greater detail the important aspects of the report relating to equity, access and training.

“At this early point, and on the threshold of Budget 2025, we welcome in particular the recommendation set out in the report for intensified engagement around the concerns about professional fees for State legal aid work.

“We have been very clear in the last year this is a serious economic barrier for those wishing to pursue and sustain a career at the Bar, and that this in turn poses a threat to wider society in terms of access to justice.

“Government has indicated that this issue will be addressed in the upcoming Budget 2025 and the Taoiseach has confirmed that both he and the minister for justice are committed to further restoration of the fees payable to legal professionals. We welcome that assurance.

“We sincerely hope that this long-standing lack of equity will be addressed by means of the full restoration of the FEMPI-era cuts that remain in place and the restoration of the link between legal aid fees and public sector pay.”

Mr Guerin added: “We also welcome the recommendation for collaboration with the Law Society of Ireland and others, to ensure that barristers are paid in a timely manner, as this has been an ongoing issue for our wider membership.

“As any self-employed person will appreciate, where fees are routinely not easily forthcoming for work undertaken, this can cause a real strain and act as a disincentive for those considering a career at the Bar.”

In a statement, the Law Society said it is “committed to widening access to the legal profession through targeted investment and further development of our existing initiatives in this area, which include a range of financial supports, new routes to legal qualifications, and school outreach programmes”.

“Recent Law Society research findings indicate that new pathways to legal education such as the Law Society’s Professional Practice Course (PPC) Hybrid are already helping to diversify demographics in the profession, but more needs to be done,” it added.

“The Law Society looks forward to working with the LSRA to implement the recommendations detailed in these reports and to further broadening access to the legal profession.”