Civil legal aid to go up, and more judges on way
The Law Society will continue to do its part in promoting and supporting an accessible legal system that works for all, which is the foundation of a modern thriving and progressive society, President Eamon Harrington said at the annual dinner last night in Blackhall Place (5 June).
Guest speaker Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan acknowledged the “extremely important role, and the dedication and commitment across every community in Ireland that members of the solicitors’ profession engage in on a daily basis."
His department did a wide range of work that was enormously dependent on both the solicitors’ profession and An Garda Siochana, he said.
“Whether it’s the legal-aid system that I'm trying to reform, or the probate system or the criminal-justice system, nothing that I, as Minister for Justice, wish to achieve can be done without the involvement and without the support of the solicitors’ profession in Ireland,” he said.
Primary focus
The Law Society always impressed him for its primary focus on the important duty it performed on behalf of citizens, and those seeking legal advice, he added.
“I’m conscious as well, as Minister for Justice, that sometimes people can confuse the interests of lawyers with the purpose of lawyers.
“As Minister for Justice, it's extremely important that I keep the focus on the purpose of lawyers,” he said.
“The purpose of lawyers is to facilitate persons gaining access to the courts, and to ensure that the administration of justice in Ireland takes place effectively and efficiently,” he said.
He said that many members of the inner bar thought that the work of the courts began and ended in the superior courts.
“In terms of the job that I do, the court that is crossing my desk, and the one that requires most of my attention, is the District Court,” he said.
This was the coalface of the administration of justice in Ireland, the minister said.
He told the event that the appointment of 20 more judges was in train.
The minister said that he had received the review of the civil legal-aid system, as well as a minority report.
“It is essential that the Government does more to ensure that we facilitate access to justice for the majority of people in Ireland who, in certain situations where they require, need to come to court to vindicate their rights,” he said.
“I think it’s essential that we increase the thresholds,” the minister stated.
The legal profession also had its own access-to-justice mechanism, in the form of the no foal, no fee cases it took on, he said.