FLAC - the Free Legal Advice Centres

25/08/2026

FLAC is presenting to United Nations Member States in Geneva today as part of the Irish civil society delegation at the Universal Periodic Review process.

We delivered a joint statement on behalf of FLAC and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties . The statement highlights the lack of progress in addressing longstanding human rights issue, including the failure of the State to update and improve civil legal aid and anti-discrimination laws. It also highlights potential backsliding on human rights and access to justice in areas like judicial review – where draft legislation runs the risk of blocking disadvantaged groups from asserting their rights in court.

07/08/2026

This article in the Irish Times notes a series of issues in getting civil restraining orders. In particular, it highlights the long waiting times for an appointment with a solicitor under the civil legal aid scheme - “She sought legal aid for her application… but was told by the Legal Aid Board on July 6th last the waiting time for a first appointment was 38 weeks.”

This reflects the experience of many who are approved for civil legal aid but must wait for months just to get a first consultation with a solicitor. The most recent maximum waiting times released by the Legal Aid Board include 62 weeks in Sligo, 59 weeks in Ennis, 53 weeks in Navan, 50 weeks in Ballymun and 47 weeks in Castlebar.

This report also highlights the need for civil legal aid to be treated as an essential public service and not an ‘add-on’ when resources allow.

At the launch of the 2025 FLAC Annual Report last month, the Minister for Justice committed to additional resourcing of the civil legal aid scheme and to civil legal aid reform. This opportunity must be taken to establish a fit-for-purpose system of civil legal aid which targets the needs of the most disadvantaged.

FLAC has been calling for the implementation of the Minority Report which stresses the need for expanding the scope of the scheme and legislative reform - in addition to properly resourcing the civil legal aid system.

‘It’s been a nightmare living next door to them’, woman tells judge at Dublin District Court

02/07/2026

⚖️ FLAC has welcomed the publication of the Oireachtas Justice Committee’s Report on Civil Legal Aid which highlights a “a serious and growing [civil legal aid] crisis”. The report highlights that civil legal aid is a “vital public service” and calls for “urgency to address the crisis”.

It is nearly a year since the Majority and Minority reports to emerge from the first ever comprehensive review of civil legal aid in Ireland were published. The Justice Committee has called for "the recommendations made in both the Majority and Minority report of the Civil Legal Aid review [to be] considered as a matter of urgency".

The Justice Committee have made a range of recommendations which align with FLAC’s calls for reform of the civil legal aid system. FLAC particularly welcomes the recommendations for:

• “‘[I]mmediate and adequate funding [being] made available to the Legal Aid Board”. At present, resourcing issues give rise to significant delays in access to legal aid. The waiting time for a first appointment with a Legal Aid Board solicitor stands at 48 weeks in Ballymun and Navan, 55 weeks in Ennis and 60 weeks in Sligo.

• Reform of the very restrictive legal aid means and merits tests. The means test for civil legal aid has not been updated in almost 20 years and sets an €18,000 disposable income limit.

• Removing the ban on legal aid being provided to people who need representation in cases heard by bodies like the WRC, RTB and in social welfare appeals. The ban applies no matter how complex or urgent the case is.

• “[Providing] access to legal information, advice and advocacy as early as possible” and “greater consideration [as] to how the Legal Aid Board and Citizens Information Board could provide …general and targeted legal information and …enabling the Citizens Information Board to provide advocacy in non-complex cases”

• The “rates of pay available to Legal Aid Board solicitors [being] immediately amended to bring parity with other solicitors employed in the Civil Service” and “a review of the private practitioner scheme model in order to assess how to make the model financially viable for professionals”

FLAC has welcomed the publication of the Oireachtas Justice Committee’s Report on Civil Legal Aid which highlights a “a serious and growing [civil legal aid] crisis”. The report highlights that …

02/07/2026

⚖️ FLAC has welcomed the publication of the Oireachtas Justice Committee’s Report on Civil Legal Aid which highlights a “a serious and growing [civil legal aid] crisis”. The report highlights that civil legal aid is a “vital public service” and calls for “urgency to address the crisis”.

It is nearly a year since the Majority and Minority reports to emerge from the first ever comprehensive review of civil legal aid in Ireland were published. The Justice Committee has called for “the recommendations made in both the Majority and Minority report of the Civil Legal Aid review [to be] considered as a matter of urgency”.

The Justice Committee have made a range of recommendations which align with FLAC’s calls for reform of the civil legal aid system. FLAC particularly welcomes the recommendations for:

• “‘[I]mmediate and adequate funding [being] made available to the Legal Aid Board”. At present, resourcing issues give rise to significant delays in access to legal aid. The waiting time for a first appointment with a Legal Aid Board solicitor stands at 48 weeks in Ballymun and Navan, 55 weeks in Ennis and 60 weeks in Sligo.

• Reform of the very restrictive legal aid means and merits tests. The means test for civil legal aid has not been updated in almost 20 years and sets an €18,000 disposable income limit.

• Removing the ban on legal aid being provided to people who need representation in cases heard by bodies like the WRC, RTB and in social welfare appeals. The ban applies no matter how complex or urgent the case is.

• “[Providing] access to legal information, advice and advocacy as early as possible” and “greater consideration [as] to how the Legal Aid Board and Citizens Information Board could provide …general and targeted legal information and …enabling the Citizens Information Board to provide advocacy in non-complex cases”

• The “rates of pay available to Legal Aid Board solicitors [being] immediately amended to bring parity with other solicitors employed in the Civil Service” and “a review of the private practitioner scheme model in order to assess how to make the model financially viable for professionals”

Full press release linked in bio.

26/06/2026

PRESS RELEASE: FLAC calls on Minister to carry out a major redraft of controversial Judicial Review Bill in light of Oireachtas Justice Committee report recommendations, and to undertake consultation and research before any changes proceed

FLAC has welcomed the publication of the Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs & Migration’s Report on Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Civil Reform Bill 2025. The Justice Committee “has concerns in relation to [the General Scheme’s] compatibility with international agreements, EU law and the Constitution.”

Across 45 recommendations, the Justice Committee has effectively called for the Bill to be overhauled. The Committee has adopted FLAC’s key recommendations, including in relation to the time limits for taking cases, the threshold for getting permission to take a case, access to appeals, the court’s discretion to grant judicial review, and the need to ensure that successful litigants are awarded their costs.

FLAC Chief Executive, Eilis Barry, stated:

“The Justice Committee’s report highlights the serious flaws with the General Scheme as well as the lack of data and evidence to support the proposals contained within it. It is quite clear that the Minister and his Department need to go back to the drawing board before proceeding with changes to judicial review.

For over five years, FLAC has been calling for the Department to engage in consultation with stakeholders about changes to judicial review. The General Scheme was published before any such consultation took place and without any explanation of the policy rationale for the radical changes it proposes or the evidence basis for them. Consultation (in particular with the groups most likely to be impacted by changes to judicial review), research on the causes of and the need for judicial reviews, and data analysis are all needed to inform any changes in this area and to provide an evidence basis for any changes. The present Bill should be paused while that work is carried out.”

FLAC has welcomed the publication of the Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs & Migration’s Report on Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Civil Reform Bill 2025. In March, …

23/06/2026

Five of the country’s independent law centres last week wrote to Mr Browne to express their concerns about the bill.

The chief executive of the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) Eilis Barry said: “The proposed new restrictions on access to housing go far beyond any pre-existing ‘policy’ and create a range of onerous new conditions.”

Group of charities express concern and call on Government not to ‘rush through’ legislation

17/06/2026

📣 Last week, the Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA) launched their 2025 Pro Bono Impact Report. PILA was established as a project of FLAC to develop public interest law in Ireland in a practical way.

The report highlights the impact of the pro bono pledge in statistics and figures and also highlights 20 cases of pro-bono work from law firms, in-house legal teams and barristers.

• The report details that in 2025, 45,034 hours of pro bono legal work were reported

• 31% of law firms reported that on average, lawyers in their firm completed over 20 hours of pro bono work.

• 52% of law firms reported that on average, lawyers in their firm completed over 10 hours of pro bono work.

• 47% of law firms reported a partner participation rate of 50% or higher.

• 52% of law firms reported a solicitor participation rate of 50% or higher.

The full report can be read here:https://www.flac.ie/assets/files/pdf/pro_bono_impact_report_2025.pdf

12/06/2026

⚖️ FLAC Chief Executive, Eilis Barry, spoke yesterday at the Annual Conference of Environmental Law Ireland.

Eilis spoke as part of a panel on the evolving landscape of judicial review in Ireland as well as the Civil Reform Bill which will have serious implications for the judicial review process. She highlighted the lack of legal aid for judicial review proceedings as well as the current 'no foal, no fee' model for most judicial reviews.

"Access to justice is not treated as an essential service in Ireland, there is no legal aid for any kind of judicial review. FLAC takes on a small number of cases for urgent issues, especially relating to social welfare and housing. We have to rely on a small cohort of barristers who are prepared to act on a 'no foal no fee' basis."

10/06/2026

📣 Joint Statement from FLAC, Community Law & Mediation, Mercy Law Resource Centre, the Immigrant Council of Ireland and the Irish Refugee Council - Independent Law Centres express “grave concerns” about rushed Housing Bill which could result in a rise in Homelessness & Rough-Sleeping

• Five of Ireland’s Independent Law Centres have written to the Minister for Housing and the Oireachtas Housing Committee to express their serious concerns about the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. The 2026 Bill will undergo Second Stage in the Dáil tomorrow (Thursday, 11 June).

• The Bill proposes to introduce strict new conditions for access to social housing supports which would require people seeking social housing to demonstrate that they are legally resident in the State and that they satisfy a ‘habitual residence’ test. Those provisions may act as a barrier to households who are living and working lawfully in Ireland from accessing social housing, and may significantly increase the risk of homelessness for non-Irish nationals and members of minority ethnic and migrant communities. The changes could also exclude people who are entitled to be in Ireland under EU law from access to social housing.

• The Department of Housing has indicated that the Bill may be amended at Committee Stage to introduce similar conditions for access to emergency homelessness accommodation. Such changes could, according to FLAC, “drastically shrink the social safety net and reduce the protections from homelessness and destitution which have been provided for in Irish law for almost four decades.” FOI records released to FLAC suggest that the Department is aware of the potential adverse impact that these changes could have on vulnerable and marginalised communities.

• All of the organisations have expressed concerns at the speed at which the Bill is progressing through the legislative process. The Bill will undergo Second Stage just eight days after it was published and Committee Stage five days later. The deadline for submission of Committee Stage amendments falls before the general principles of the Bill have even been debated.

• The Independent Law Centres work directly with the communities who are likely to be adversely impacted by the 2026 Bill and their analysis of it is drawn from their significant experience of advocating for those communities and their rights.

22/05/2026

As National Volunteering Week draws to a close, a huge thank you to all our FLAC clinic volunteers for providing every time you volunteer. You are all amazing!