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Fees for criminal legal aid rise by 8%

Fees for criminal legal aid rose by 8% from 1 January 2025, as a measure announced on budget day last October came into force. 

The increase was part of an increase of €9 million in the allocation for criminal legal aid. 

The previous year’s budget had included a 10% increase in fees, but solicitors and barristers have been calling for the full restoration of cuts made in the wake of the financial crisis. 

Criminal barristers earlier this year staged three days of action in which they withdrew their services.

‘Clear pathway’ 

In October, the Law Society described the latest increase as “a step in the right direction”, but noted that the rates “remain far below what was paid more than a decade ago when the original cuts were made in 2009”. 

The organisation also called for “a clear pathway and timeline” to achieve full restoration. 

Speaking yesterday (1 January), the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that she looked forward to continued engagement with the Law Society and the Bar of Ireland on the reform of criminal legal aid, including “the modernisation and funding structure of the scheme”.