Cork solicitors ask Taoiseach to intervene in criminal legal aid dispute

Taoiseach Micheál Martin (Niall Carson/PA)

The Taoiseach has been told an “immediate intervention” is needed in the criminal legal aid dispute.

A group representing 750 solicitors in Cork said the criminal courts “have all but ground to a halt” amid a dispute over criminal legal aid fees.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan replaced a per-appearance fee with a flat rate in July, prompting hundreds of solicitors to withdraw their services.

It has impacted several cases involving vulnerable court users entitled to criminal legal aid, with many matters being adjourned for months.

Mr O’Callaghan’s party leader, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, has been asked to meet with solicitors from his home county to find a solution to the dispute.

Jonathan Lynam, the president of the Southern Law Association, told Mr Martin on Friday that the current impasse is “having a profound impact on the administration of justice” and “there needs to be an immediate intervention”.

In a letter seen by the Press Association, Mr Lynam told the Fianna Fáil leader that the impact of the dispute can be measured by a “dramatic reduction” in the granting of legal aid certificates.

He said in Cork City, the number of certificates fell from 579 in July last year to 18 in July 2026.

He said there was no certificated granted in Mallow and just one certificated granted in Clonakilty in July.

In Dublin, the drop is down to 60 in the month compared to 3,344 in July last year.

Nationwide, the reduction is 93%.

Mr Lynam said Mr O’Callaghan’s characterisation of the courts as running “effectively” does not “reflect the reality of the situation”, adding that he had “serious questions” about the “objectivity” of the Department’s assessment.

He argued that the fee reform should be reassessed.

Mr Lynam told the Taoiseach that many solicitors who have resigned from the panel will not return to the area of practice.

He asked for the Government to consider that legal aid certificates be issued for separate and distinct cases committed on separate dates – with a cap of five in any one day, and for a solicitor to be allowed apply for an additional certificate at the court’s discretion if there are more than 10 appearances.

However, he said Mr O’Callaghan had declined to adopt the solutions and accused him of showing a “limited consideration or comprehension of the core technical arguments”.

He suggested that Mr Martin should meet with him and two Cork solicitors in a manner he deems appropriate to discuss the technical matters “which we feel could assist in agreeing a resolution”.