Legal Aid

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For a second time this month, criminal barristers across the State have withdrawn their services as part of The Bar of Ireland's campaign for fee restoration.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

Criminal barristers across the State will withdraw their services tomorrow in a major escalation of the Bar Council's campaign for fee restoration. Protests will take place at 16 courthouses where criminal cases are due to be held, including the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin, on the first of

Criminal barristers are set to strike again on three dates in July following the government's failure to follow through on a promise to review fee levels. The Bar Council last night agreed to recommend to its members in criminal practice across the State that they should withdraw services on Tuesday

The English justice minister, Alex Chalk, is being taken to the court by lawyers who say legal aid fees are so low they cannot provide representation to thousands of people. The case before the High Court in London revolves around access to legal aid for immigration and asylum lawyers and is being b

Defence solicitors in Scotland have begun their first week of industrial action over domestic abuse cases after a collapse in talks with the Scottish government over reforms to legal aid. They will also decline to act where an accused has no solicitor and cannot represent themselves — and will

Criminal barristers have been urged by the Bar Council not to take part in a proposed wildcat strike over fee restoration. Hundreds of barristers are said to have signed a declaration which states that they "will not attend court on or after the 1st June 2024 for cases involving State-funded prosecu