Legal Aid

Barristers appearing in the most serious criminal cases in Northern Ireland are effectively being asked to do twice the work for half the pay they were getting two decades ago, the chairperson of the Bar of Northern Ireland has told Irish Legal News. Donal Lunny KC, who took up office in September,

Over 100 criminal barristers gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast this morning during a one-day strike over legal aid fees. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents criminal barristers within the Bar of Northern Ireland, is holding a full-scale day of action today.

Northern Ireland solicitors are to join their criminal barrister colleagues in withdrawing from criminal court cases on Monday. In a statement confirming its support for the action, the Law Society of Northern Ireland said the criminal justice system "will collapse without an immediate increase in l

Criminal barristers in Northern Ireland are to stage a one-day strike and begin to refuse serious cases in pursuit of an increase in legal aid fees. Following a ballot earlier this month, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents criminal barristers within the Bar of Northern Ireland, wil

The Law Society of Ireland has said it is seeking a meeting with justice minister Helen McEntee over her decision to keep legal aid fees at a level "still far below what was paid more than a decade ago". An eight per cent increase in criminal legal aid fees will take effect from 1 January 2025, Mrs

Criminal lawyers in England and Wales are to withdraw from legal aid work over a pay dispute with ministers. The Law Society is to advise its members to consider withdrawing from legal aid work or scaling it back until the UK government provides a "meaningful response" to lawyers' demands.

The Bar of Ireland has said it will consult its members on next steps after an eight per cent increase in legal aid fees fell "short of what criminal practitioners had been expecting". The increase, which follows an unprecedented withdrawal of services by barristers over three days this summer, will

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice has been urged to publish the findings of a review of criminal legal aid which was completed in the summer. Judge Tom Burgess was appointed a year ago to carry out a "fundamental review" of the criminal legal aid system, which was warmly welcomed by practitio

Criminal legal aid fees will be increased by eight per cent next year in a move that comes as a disappointment to lawyers who hoped to see full fee restoration in Budget 2025. Some €9 million has been allocated to the criminal legal aid budget to cover the costs of the fee increase from 1 Janua

The Irish government has begun unveiling Budget 2025, with criminal lawyers hoping for a break-through in a long-running campaign for fee restoration. This is the first government budget since the Bar Council led criminal barristers out on an unprecedented withdrawal of services across three days th

The Bar of Northern Ireland has launched a new series of explainer videos to promote the meaning and value of legal aid in civil matters. The video series follows the commencement of a review of civil legal aid by the Department of Justice, with the Bar submitting a detailed advocating for a positiv

Criminal barristers in England and Wales are demanding a 15 per cent rise in pay to match settlements secured by other public sector workers. They also want the UK government to establish an independent pay review body to try and bring an end to the repeated industrial disputes that resulted in thei

The Bar of Ireland has urged the government to use Budget 2025 to restore the full range of FEMPI-era cuts to criminal barristers working for the State. In its pre-budget submission, published today, the representative body for over 2,000 practising barristers also calls for restoration of the pay l

Restoring fees to pre-2008 levels would add less than €16 million to the yearly criminal legal aid bill, justice minister Helen McEntee has said. Both the Law Society and the Bar Council are calling on the government to restore criminal legal aid fees to their pre-FEMPI levels in Budget 2025, a

Greater investment in Northern Ireland's civil legal aid budget is needed to protect survivors of domestic abuse, a leader of Women's Aid has told MLAs. Sonya McMullan, regional services manager of the Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland, reinforced to MLAs the severity of the impact of potentia