Criminal barristers withdraw services in July strike

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Criminal barristers across the State withdrew their services on 9 July 2024 in a campaign for fee restoration. Dozens gathered outside Dublin’s Criminal Courts of Justice, and similar gatherings took place at courthouses around the country.

The Bar Council said the action followed the government’s failure to honour a commitment to review fees paid to criminal barristers through the DPP and legal aid scheme. Chair Sara Phelan SC said the group wanted a binding commitment to review fees and engage with the profession.

Cuts of between 28.5 and 69 per cent followed the 2008 crash, and fees were partially restored by 10 per cent after the previous year’s withdrawal. Phelan said that even if the cuts were restored, barristers would still suffer a reduction of about 15 to 16 per cent because there had been no cost-of-living or inflationary increases since 2018.

The Bar Council recommended further withdrawals on 15 and 24 July 2024. The report described the strike and fee dispute.