The Law Society welcomes the comments of the High Court earlier today when it urged the parties involved in a Judicial Review of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme to resolve the matter outside of Court.
The comments from the High Court are significant and follow concerns expressed by the Chief Justice who last week said the continuation of the dispute between criminal defence solicitors and the Department of Justice was a matter of concern to him and to judges generally.
The Law Society agrees that this matter needs to be resolved without any further delay and again calls on the Minister and his officials to meet directly, as the Minister has previously ruled out mediation. The Law Society has repeatedly sought to resolve this dispute. Our objective is to secure an effective and sustainable criminal legal aid system that protects access to justice and commands the confidence of those who use it.
