Portlaoise Courthouse
Credit: Andreas F. Borchert [CC BY-SA 3.0 DE]

Solicitors across Ireland have been withdrawing their services since June in opposition to the “one accused, one fee” model for criminal legal aid that was introduced by justice minister Jim O’Callaghan on 1 July. Under the new scheme solicitors will receive one fixed fee of €520 for representing a legally aided person before the District Court. Previously solicitors were paid €239.38 for a first appearance and €59.86 for each subsequent appearance.

Critical issues with the scheme, raised by the Law Society in August, are separate and distinct cases and complex cases. In the latter case the Law Society proposed a compromise where a further legal aid certificate would be issued where a case exceeds ten court appearances.

However, as reported by the Laois Nationalist, solicitors in Laois have now withdrawn their opposition to the new scheme and returned to work.

In a busy Portlaoise courthouse Judge Andrew Cody dealt with over 140 cases and the court sat until 7pm.