High Court challenge to new legal aid model likely to be heard this month

A High Court challenge to the new criminal legal aid payment model will likely be heard before the end of this month.

The new model, which came into effect last week, has led to solicitors withdrawing their services and serious disruption in the criminal justice system.

John Quinn, a lawyer at John M Quinn & Co Solicitors, was granted permission last week to bring an action seeking to quash the statutory instrument underpinning the new model.

He is suing the office of the Minister for Justice, with the Law Society of Ireland a notice party to the action.

Under the new arrangement, solicitors receive a flat, once-off legal aid fee of €520 irrespective of how many appearances they make to represent a client in District Court cases.

The previous criminal legal aid payments system was based on the number of court appearances a solicitor made during a case.

Judge Mary Rose Gearty on Tuesday provisionally assigned a hearing date of July 30th and 31st for the hearing of Mr Quinn’s challenge.

The judge, who manages the High Court’s judicial review list, said it was “80 per cent likely” a judge would be available to hear the case on those dates.