Around 60 solicitors walked out of District Court courtrooms in protest over the introduction of a new payment system for criminal legal aid.
The controversial new system, means that criminal legal aid solicitors will now be paid a flat rate fee of €520 under a 'one accused, one fee' model.
This is compared to the old system where a solicitor was paid for each court appearance by a single person. Solicitors were paid €239.38 for the first appearance, and then €59.86 for each subsequent hearing.
Yesterday saw 60 solicitors in Dublin walk out of court in protest and a number of solicitors in Cork offered their resignation.
Judge Michelle Finan was speaking in Dublin District Court when the solicitors walked out. According to reports in RTE and The Irish Times, they were joining their colleague who told the court earlier that day that she could not represent a man who was before the court of an "extremely serious" charge of arson at a Dublin mosque on Talbot Street earlier this week.
The man was remanded in custody after he was refused bail. Solicitor Tracey Horan told the court that he contacted her office seeking legal representation.
According to RTE, she told the court: "I regret to inform you I am not in a position to accept legal aid assignments" and asked the judge to bring this to the attention of the District Court judiciary."
"As you will be aware there is an ongoing and significant dispute between solicitors undertaking criminal legal aid work and the Minister for Justice concerning the introduction of the new legal aid scheme. Despite sustained efforts by the Law Society of Ireland to engage constructively on these matters, the new arrangements have been introduced without meaningful consultation or agreement," she continued.
Horan said that until the minister engages with the Law Society of Ireland and offers a view to resolve the issues she will be unable to represent the man before the court.
In Cork, around 50 solicitors on the legal aid panel at the Anglesea Street Courthouse walked out afyer informing judges that they were withdrawing from the panel.
Solicitor Frank Buttimer told Judge David Waters that it was a source of "deep regret" however they were left with no choice.
“We appreciate the disruption it will cause to the courts, but we believe it is not of our making as we have been forced into this position,” Buttimer said.
