Mayo solicitors withdraw services in protest at reforms of legal aid scheme
Solicitors in Castlebar District Court continue their protest against reforms of legal aid scheme with another withdrawal of services
Mayo solicitors have once again withdrawn their services in the district court in protest to proposed changes to the legal aid scheme.
Solicitors informed Judge Tom McSharry that they were withdrawing their services for criminal matters at the start of a special sitting of Castlebar District Court.
President of the Mayo Solicitors Bar Association, Gary Mulchrone along with Ballinrobe-based solicitor Cathy McDarby and Westport-based solicitor Dermot Morahan that they were all withdrawing their services as part of a continued protest against plans by the Department of Justice to replace the current fee structure with a flat fee covering a fixed number of court appearances.
Currently, a solicitor is paid for each court appearance, starting at €239.38, and then €59.86 for each subsequent hearing but a new set fee of €455 will be payable regardless of how many court appearances there are.
As a result of the withdrawal of services, all criminal cases which were planned to be heard this morning were adjourned to different dates in July.
The proposals have been described by the Law Society as a cost-cutting measure presented as reform and solicitors across the country are withdrawing their services in protest.
Last week, solicitors in Mayo carried out a similar protest with Mr Mulchrone saying that if the reforms go ahead it will result in the loss of solicitors in rural areas in particular.
“I would ask the Minister and the Department to reflect and pause and engage and suspend the commencement of this on the first of July because if this comes in I feel many solicitors similar to me will simply leave the legal aid panel and not be in a position to do this work anymore. That will create an immediate crisis in the justice system across the country,” he said.
Funded by Courts Reporting Scheme