Back to the future
My year as president began brightly: bar association meetings, the Future of Legal Practice Summit in January, and the CCBE conference in February, writes Rosemarie Loftus.
By late February, the storm had broken. The Government proposed a single flat fee for criminal legal aid.
We told the Department of Justice exactly what we thought: this model had already failed.
When flat fees hit family-law legal aid, solicitors walked away because the work became unviable. Why repeat the mistake?
The consequences have been predictable. Access to justice for victims of crime and defendants is now under real threat.
The threat extends beyond criminal law. Proposed fee scales for environmental judicial reviews rest on the claim that they are choking housing delivery. The data says otherwise: judicial-review cases fell 19% in 2025.
A fee scale will not stop weak cases being brought by the wealthy; it will stop strong cases being brought by those who can’t afford the risk. Better options exist, such as non-binding cost guidelines and internal-appeal mechanisms.
While criminal legal aid has dominated the headlines this year, the Civil Legal Aid Scheme is also in crisis.
The Government announced increased funding of €14.5 million investment in civil legal aid. This mirrored the ask from the Law Society in our pre-Budget submission.
We called for an increase in the financial threshold for qualifying for civil legal aid, and expect this to happen. However, increasing eligibility without addressing underlying challenges, such as practitioner participation and fee sustainability, will only exacerbate existing delays and capacity constraints.
Evidence-based reform
The Law Society supports reform, but it must be evidence-based. The need for better data was an important impetus behind the Justice Indicators report from the Centre for Justice and Law Reform.
The report drew on more than 100 data sources to assess trust, policing, courts, and prisons and received extensive coverage when it was published earlier this year.
The centre is also finalising a report on legal deserts. Shining a light on the shrinking of legal services in rural Ireland was a priority of my presidency, and I know that this important work will continue.
The launch of the apprenticeship programme, which will help broaden access to the profession, represents a very positive step in this regard.
Solicitor services
Along with advocating for the profession, the Law Society works to support each of you in many different ways.
I was proud to launch the new Solicitor Services Department in October. Its establishment reflects the Law Society’s commitment to you and to supporting the profession as it evolves.
The department acts as both an anchor for the profession and as a connector – to information, people, expertise, and support. It brings together Psychological Services, career and practice development, plus engagement and information.
Together, they offer practical support for solicitors in your business, practice, and workplace, across your careers and beyond.
A good example of this is ‘Practice Essentials’. This ready-to-use collection of templates, guides, and resources tackles the real day-to-day challenges of running a practice – from people and processes to compliance and risk – and provides accessible, practical support on topics including AI, HR, and regulation.
It has already been downloaded more than 2,000 times.
This is my final ‘President’s Message’. Thank you for letting me stand with you as president. I wish my successor Martin Lawlor every good wish and success in the year ahead.
On a final note, access to justice is not guaranteed – it is built, defended, and funded by people like you.
Rosemarie Loftus is President of the Law Society