Legal Aid

The new government's programme "falls short" on access to justice in a number of key areas, legal rights group FLAC has said. In its new 17-page response to the Programme for Government, FLAC has repeated its call for a "root-and-branch" review of the civil legal aid system.

A 64-year-old cleaner has won an age and disability discrimination case in the Workplace Relations Commission with support from legal rights group FLAC. The woman, represented by FLAC managing solicitor Sinead Lucey, took proceedings after being dismissed on the grounds of age and ill health from he

Law centres are facing dramatic increases in calls from workers concerned about their employment rights during the coronavirus pandemic. Community Law and Mediation (CLM), with law centres in Dublin and Limerick, has said it is "at capacity" after a 196 per cent year-on-year increase in consultation

The number of applications to the legal aid agency's COVID-19 interim payment scheme has fallen sharply in its second full week of operation. The Legal Services Agency (LSA) received 444 requests in the week ending 22 May 2020, a 45 per cent decline from 818 in the previous week.

Nearly a third of solicitor applications and nearly half of barrister applications to the legal aid agency's COVID-19 interim payment scheme have been rejected. The Legal Services Agency (LSA), which launched the scheme two weeks ago, has revealed it had received 818 requests by Friday 15 May.

Over a quarter of applications to the interim payment scheme set up by the legal aid agency in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been rejected. As of Monday night, the Legal Services Agency (LSA) had processed 264 requests under the COVID-19 interim payments scheme which came into operation

Over £2 million in legal aid fees has not yet been paid to lawyers because their claims have not been resubmitted after being queried by the Legal Services Agency (LSA). There were 1,767 queries with a total value of £2.24 million awaiting replies and resubmission from 139 different firm

The next government should commit to a root and branch review of the civil legal aid scheme, legal rights group FLAC has said. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders are currently in talks to form a historic coalition government on the basis of a paper published earlier this week.

Criminal barristers have been told they will receive legal aid payments for adjourned cases during the coronavirus lockdown and "refresher fees" when trials resume. The Department of Justice confirmed in response to representations from The Bar of Ireland that brief fees will be paid now in respect

The law firms and barristers earning most from legal aid in Northern Ireland are no longer being named out of concerns about GDPR rules. The Legal Services Agency has not published details payments made to solicitor firms and individual barristers for four years.

The Oireachtas justice committee's inquiry into access to justice and legal costs has lapsed as a result of the Dáil's dissolution for the general election. Rose Wall, CEO of Community Law & Mediation (CLM), gave evidence to the committee last month, calling for the expansion of civil leg

The Chief Justice of Ireland, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, has called for a "significant review" of the income thresholds used to determine eligibility for civil legal aid. Speaking at an event marking the 40th anniversary of the Legal Aid Board, Ireland's top judge said the "increased complexity of mod

The Chief Justice of Ireland, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, will reflect on the role of civil legal aid in ensuring access to justice at the Legal Aid Board's 40th anniversary celebrations tomorrow. The top judge will deliver the keynote address at the event, which will highlight the Board's contribution

A key UN committee has backed calls for Ireland's civil legal aid scheme to be expanded to help combat racial discrimination in employment and welfare. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has issued its recommendations to the Government following a formal examination of Stat

The lack of legal aid for racial discrimination and harassment claims in Ireland is depriving people from ethnic minority backgrounds of their rights, FLAC will tell UN experts today. Eilis Barry, chief executive of the legal rights group, is giving evidence in Geneva to the UN Committee on the Elim