Eilis Barry

Early legal assistance was provided in response to just 12,472 queries, with the NGO calling on the government to establish a properly-funded service to meet demand.

Volunteer lawyers held 3,273 consultations in FLAC’s free legal advice clinics, and 212 people received legal representation, mainly in the areas of housing/homelessness, equality/discrimination and social welfare law.

Eilis Barry, FLAC’s chief executive, said: “FLAC’s work demonstrates the transformative impact that access to justice can have on people’s lives and our society.

“FLAC’s telephone information and referral line responded to 12,472 queries during 2023, only a fraction of the calls it received, alongside 3,273 legal advice consultations with volunteer lawyers at free legal advice clinics.

“FLAC’s early legal information and advice services seek to prevent legal problems from arising and escalating — reducing the knock-on effects legal problems have on people’s lives.

“As a small NGO, FLAC cannot begin to meet the level of legal need, as evidenced by the over 50,000 calls received by our phone line. This points to the need for a properly funded national telephone legal information line, as part of our system of public legal assistance.”

She continued: “This impact was also evident in FLAC’s two landmark Supreme Court cases during 2023, Heneghan and O’Meara.

“Those rulings are testament to the bravery of our clients and are a victory for democracy and the rule of law. The legislation currently being advanced to give effect to those decisions will expand the franchise in Seanad elections and broaden entitlement to social welfare payments for bereaved partners and families.

“The casework arising from targeted Traveller, LGBTQI and Roma services also have a significant impact beyond the individual and that work shows that access to justice is vital for promoting equality and combatting poverty, social exclusion and discrimination.”

FLAC chairperson Róisín Fitzpatrick added: “Throughout 2023, FLAC was very fortunate to be able to draw on the deep commitment to access to justice within the legal profession, civil society, law schools and student societies across the island of Ireland.

“We are also immensely grateful to all of our funders — from government departments and statutory bodies to the Law Society, the Bar of Ireland, and philanthropic organisations such as the Community Foundation of Ireland, as well as our wide array of sustaining and supporting partners, individual law firms, practitioners and private individuals — for providing the crucial financial resources that allows FLAC to undertake its work.”