'Ireland faces legal aid crisis' as Flac fields 53,000 calls in a year

Callers frequently tell Flac they are unable to access a family law solicitor from the Legal Aid Board’s private practitioner panel, even if they had been approved for legal aid. Stock picture

Ireland is facing “nothing less than a civil legal aid crisis”, the Free Legal Advice Centres (Flac) has said, after new data showed that the organisation received more than 53,000 calls for support last year.

In its annual report, Flac said it only has the capacity to respond to a fifth of these queries, with family law and employment law the main areas in which people sought assistance. Furthermore, it said a record high of 539 queries in relation to domestic violence were received in 2024.