Settle fees dispute by October – Bar Council
The Bar Council has urged the Minister for Justice to engage further with the Law Society to resolve the dispute about a new fee structure for criminal legal aid before the new legal year begins on 5 October.
Its statement came ahead of a meeting of criminal-defence solicitors this morning (16 September) to discuss the dispute.
The Bar Council said that it was “extremely concerned” that the dispute had not been settled.
“The prospect of continuing disruption on the advent of the new legal year is of the utmost gravity,” it stated.
Noting that many criminal-defence solicitors had withdrawn their services in response to the introduction of the new scheme, the Bar Council said that the row had led to large-scale adjournments of criminal business across all court jurisdictions.
Backlog
It added that the full effect of the disruption had yet to be felt, as the backlog of cases remained to be dealt with.
The Bar Council described criminal legal aid as “a fundamental part of ensuring access to justice and the right to a fair trial”, adding that, without practitioners working in this area, the right of an accused person to a fair trial could not be vindicated.
“Just as importantly, the State’s basic obligation to maintain a functioning criminal-justice system for the protection of all citizens cannot be met,” it added.
Earlier this month, Law Society President Rosemarie Loftus wrote to the minister suggesting the appointment of a mediator to resolve the dispute.