Irish criminal solicitors strike causes hundreds of court adjournments

A dispute between criminal legal aid solicitors and the Department of Justice has led to the adjournment of hundreds of cases at the Letterkenny Circuit Court. On the opening day of the Michaelmas sitting, Judge John Aylmer adjourned all but 18 of the 268 criminal cases on the list, while 87 District Court appeals were also pushed back.

Solicitors are striking over a new flat-fee payment model being implemented by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan. Under the proposed model, solicitors receive a flat €520 for cases concluding within five appearances, whereas the previous model paid €240 per appearance.

The Law Society is seeking two primary adjustments: a second €520 payment for complex cases exceeding ten court appearances, and multiple €520 payments for clients facing multiple charges. Amanda Connolly, vice chair of the criminal law committee at the Law Society, argued that complex cases involving mental health, addiction, or domestic violence routinely require more appearances and that the changes are necessary to address these complexities.