Legal Aid

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

Solicitors John McDaid and Paul Mageean have been appointed to the management board of the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland. Mr McDaid was chief executive of the Legal Aid Board south of the border from 2014 to 2023.

Lawyers lined the front of the Four Courts yesterday during the third and final day of withdrawal of services by criminal barristers this legal term.

Further strikes have not been ruled out as criminal barristers today embark on the third and final day of withdrawal of services planned for this legal term. Protests are taking place at 11 courthouses around the State, including the Four Courts in Dublin as well as courthouses in Carlow, Ennis, Cor

For a second time this month, criminal barristers across the State have withdrawn their services as part of The Bar of Ireland's campaign for fee restoration. Protests took place this morning at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin as well as courthouses in Cork, Limerick, Castlebar and Galway.

Criminal barristers gathered outside courthouses across the State yesterday as they withdrew services to pile pressure on the government over fee restoration. Irish Legal News yesterday reported from the largest gathering at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin.

Criminal barristers across the State have withdrawn their services today in a major escalation of The Bar of Ireland's campaign for fee restoration. Dozens of barristers and some solicitor colleagues defied the wind and rain to gather in front of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin this morning