Wait for legal aid meetings longest in Cork

Low earners are having to wait more than a year to see a solicitor in some parts of the country because demand for free legal aid has almost doubled in recent years.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has admitted that demand for services since the economic downturn began has led to long waiting times for the Civil Legal Aid Board which pays for people who cannot afford a lawyer — mostly in family law cases like divorce.

Mr Shatter said he’s “very conscious of the difficulties” that such delays are giving rise to and the board is also “keenly aware of those difficulties and working to ensure the delays are minimised to the greatest extent possible”.