Fourteen cases adjourned in Limerick court as legal aid row continues

The majority of cases before Limerick District Court were put back

Published 9th Jul 2026, 15:13 BST The withdrawal of services for criminal representation in Limerick is due to an ongoing dispute between solicitors and the Department of Justice over a new pay regime for legal aid services The majority of cases before Limerick District Court were put back Sign up to our Limerick Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Limerick Live within your account.

A LARGE number of cases before Limerick District’s City Court were adjourned to a future date due to the ongoing withdrawal of services from solicitors on July 8.

Fourteen cases on the list in court five were adjourned due to Solicitors Tom Kiely, Michael O’Donnell and John Herbert holding the line.

The withdrawal of services for criminal representation in Limerick is due to an ongoing dispute between solicitors and the Department of Justice over a new pay regime for legal aid services.

The new system means a single flat-fee of €520 euro will be granted for legal aid cases in place of the old system of one fee per appearance - which amounted to €239.38 for the first court appearance and €59.86 for each appearance thereafter.

READ MORE: 'We feel so betrayed': Limerick solicitors to withdraw all criminal legal services

The Law Society of Ireland has criticised Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan for implementing these changes without consultation.

The Minister for Justice has implemented the new fee system to reduce what the department sees as unnecessary adjournments in legal aid cases.

On the whole, solicitors reject the notion that there was intentional exploitation of legal aid payments under the old system, and say that there is inadequate evidence to support the new system.

The Law Society of Ireland has stated that the new scheme will create “legal deserts” for those seeking representation, due to solicitors exiting the legal aid system.

Irish Legal News reported that 55 solicitors have left the legal aid panel since the new system was introduced on July 1.