SOLICITORS in Donegal remain united in ongoing disputes, according to a Donegal solicitor.
This comes after the Irish Independent reported that some criminal defence solicitors have been taking on legal aid work.
Solicitor Rory McIntyre O’Brien has told the Donegal News that at last Monday’s session, “no solicitor had engaged in any private or legal aid work, apart from a very, very small set of exceptions which had been applying prior to June 18.”
In their article on September 9, the Irish Independent made reference to one legal aid certificate being issued last week at Letterkenny District Court, but Rory said that he was not aware of when or where that happened.
Rory, who has two offices based in Letterkenny and Donegal Town, added: “As far as I am concerned from last Monday, it is as it has always been, absolutely no legal aid work or private legal aid work has been commenced in this quarter.”
In relation to the current stance of Donegal solicitors, Rory stated: “We’re very united in relation to the position that we have adopted.
“It’s not a position we’ve ever wanted to adopt, and it’s as frustrating for us as it is for others”.
Criminal defence solicitors across Ireland have withdrawn their services since changes were made to the pay model for solicitors taking on legal aid cases.
The new scheme introduced by Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, proposes a flat fee of €520 for all legal aid cases, irrespective of the amount of court appearances the case requires.
The Law Society have said that this new model “does not adequately reflect the reality, complexity or duration of criminal cases.”
Criminal defence solicitors have been withdrawing their legal aid services since June.
The Donegal Bar Association recently released a press release revealing that in July 2025, there had been approximately 183 legal aid certificates issued in the Letterkenny, compared to zero in July 2026.
In the Donegal Town there were 32 in July 2025, and again zero in July 2026.
Rory added that this shows the reality of what has been happening on the ground and “undermines the position that courts are running effectively, as was previously suggested.”
“The delay that this is having will be felt not next week, next month, but in the next number of months and the next year,” he said.
“It’s important that this issue is resolved sooner rather than later for everyone’s interest.
“All we want to do is get back to work as soon as possible and once we do we will ensure that things are dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible.”