Solicitor to earn 31,200 euros in criminal legal aid fees for one court appearance under system at centre of standoff with minister - who says he 'cannot allow a blank cheque to be written by the taxpayer'

Published: 23:07, 22 July 2026 | Updated: 23:07, 22 July 2026 A solicitor will earn over €31,000 in criminal legal aid fees for a single court appearance representing a client charged with 130 money laundering offences, the  Mail can reveal. Invoice data reveal the solicitor submitted claims to the State for payment on a fee-per-charge basis, a practice that has been scrapped under a new funding model. It comes as the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has dug his heels in in a deepening row with solicitors over the new fee model. Solicitors began their first of a five-day withdrawal of services for legal aid cases at the criminal courts yesterday, and do not plan to return before the courts adjourn for the summer. The row centres around the introduction of a flat fee of €520 per new client, for criminal legal aid payments to solicitors representing citizens at District Court level. It replaces a previous model under which solicitors were paid €240 for taking on the client and €60 for every subsequent court date. Mr O’Callaghan has defended the reforms, arguing that the previous model was open to abuse. The Mail previously revealed that a Department of Justice report raised concerns that solicitors had been given instructions on how to ‘maximise’ payments under the scheme. A review, published by the department last month, recommended introducing a flat-fee model and scrapping the practice of issuing multiple ‘legal aid certificates’ for one defendant. The review found that while the number of cases at the District Court were falling, the number of certificates had reached record highs. Data obtained by the Mail reveal that one solicitor, who represented a defendant in a recent money laundering case, earned €31,200 in one day through the approval of 130 different certificates. The Mail has established that the solicitor will receive €240 per certificate, amounting to €31,200 for just one court appearance. The solicitor, who has not been identified, has been paid over €11,000 to date, the Mail understands. Further analysis of 105 cases with between 10 and 130 certificates each shows that more than 2,600 certificates were issued. Under the previous payment model, where solicitors were paid €240 per certificate, the total cost to the taxpayer for these services was €630,000. Under the new model, the total cost of all the certificates would be just over €54,000. Other examples included in the data appear to show one recent case where a solicitor was paid over €22,500 after filing 94 certificates for one client charged with deception-related offences. The Department of Justice review, which prompted the minister to quickly introduce reforms, highlighted cases where multiple certificates were issued for payment. Separate solicitors representing just one client each received up to 221 certificates in cases which were ‘remarkably’ directed to a higher court, where ‘higher fees apply’, the report stated. It added that the data it presented raised ‘the question as to why separate payments under [the free criminal legal aid scheme] were granted at all’. The Mail has previously reported that presentations have been given to solicitors on how to ‘maximise’ earnings from the free criminal legal aid payment model. The Law Society, the body representing solicitors, was approached for comment. A group of free criminal legal aid solicitors have withdrawn services from the criminal courts and have claimed they will not return until a resolution can be found. One legal source told the Mail that the new payment model is ‘unworkable’ and creates a ‘two-tier system’ for accessing the courts service. ‘Those that can afford to, will obtain lawyers that have the required knowledge, skill and experience,’ they said. ‘Those that can’t, will be left with no option but to avail of a system that is already overburdened.’ Minister O’Callaghan said yesterday that it was ‘deeply regrettable that certain solicitors have decided to withdraw their services in full’. He added: ‘This action will result in the unnecessary adjournment of court proceedings which will negatively impact on any person who finds themselves in contact with the criminal justice system.’ The minister told the Mail last week that he does not believe the reforms have backfired and said he is not testing new policies to see what works. However, Government sources have claimed that the new model is under review and engagement on adjusting the structure may take place in the future. The Fianna Fáil TD claimed that, since the introduction of the new fee model this month, over 200 new payment certificates have been issued. He further claimed that these nullified remarks made by the Law Society that claimed the entire free criminal legal aid system has ‘collapsed’. He added that as minister he ‘cannot allow a blank cheque to be written by the taxpayer’. A statement from the Law Society said it was ‘regrettable’ that the Department of Justice is ‘continuing to downplay the impact the current dispute is having’, adding that it remains ‘available to meet at any time’. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.