Director General of the Law Society Mary Keane has said that the Law Society is deeply disappointed by the recent comments regarding the legal profession made by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.

“We view this as offensive and disrespectful to over 12,000 solicitors who work tirelessly to protect and serve their clients every day,” she said.

'Distasteful'

“This blatant attempt to insult the integrity of an entire profession that exists to provide access to justice for all citizens is unacceptable, extremely damaging and, to use Mr Donnelly’s words, ‘distasteful’.”

“The comments made on national radio can only be seen as an effort to deflect the narrative away from the challenges the minister is currently facing.

“We urge Mr Donnelly to issue an apology to all solicitors in Ireland for this inaccurate depiction of the profession, which is, in fact, grounded in values of integrity, respect and trust,” the director general concluded.

The health minister had claimed that law firms were anticipating increased business as a result of the serious HSE data hack this week.