The Society may refer your complaint to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The members of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which is independent of the Society, are appointed by the President of the High Court and includes lay members.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has limited judicial powers and its primary function is to establish, by evidence and documents, the facts of your complaint, and to decide whether misconduct is proved. Where there is a finding of misconduct, the Tribunal can itself impose a sanction on the solicitor (which can include a direction to pay restitution of a sum not exceeding €15,000 to any aggrieved party) or the Tribunal may refer its finding and recommendation to the President of the High Court who ultimately will decide on the nature of the sanction to be imposed on the solicitor.
Every client of a solicitor has a right to make a direct application to the Disciplinary Tribunal and it is not necessary to have the complaint dealt with in the first instance by the Society. If you have already made a complaint to the Society and your complaint has not been upheld, you are still entitled to apply to the Tribunal.
To make an application to the Tribunal, a form of application and a sworn affidavit must be completed. Any person who is considering a direct application to the Tribunal should first contact the Clerk of the Disciplinary Tribunal, The Disciplinary Tribunal, The Friary, Bow Street, Dublin 7 to obtain the appropriate information leaflet and application forms.
Access the Disciplinary Tribunal website.