Family lawyers could withdraw legal aid services within weeks
Family lawyers in Ireland are threatening to stop taking on new legal aid cases unless the Department of Justice addresses long-standing pay and reform issues. The potential strike could significantly impact access to justice for family law matters, including domestic violence cases.
Why it matters
A withdrawal of services would overwhelm the Legal Aid Board and leave vulnerable litigants without representation in critical family court proceedings.
Family lawyers may withdraw their legal aid services before the end of the month if the Department of Justice does not engage urgently over pay and civil legal aid reform.
Any such withdrawal could affect litigants relying on legal aid lawyers to represent them in new family law cases concerning child maintenance, custody, guardianship and domestic violence.
The dispute is separate to the one involving solicitors protesting against criminal legal aid reforms .
A group representing lawyers on the family law legal aid private practitioners panel has written to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan , urging engagement over pay and family legal aid reform in line with recommendations made in reports last year of the civil legal aid reform group.
It is understood that unless there is a “meaningful” response, the lawyers are prepared not to take on any new cases but will honour existing legal aid assignments.
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