FLAC - the Free Legal Advice Centres

25/09/2026

Full press release can be found at the link in our bio.

Press Release - WRC Discrimination Case: Boots is liable for actions of security guard who excluded Roma woman from shop; ordered to pay compensation and provide equality training.

• Claudia Tanase (a Roma woman represented by FLAC) has succeeded in a discrimination complaint against Boots Retail (Ireland) Limited under the Equal Status Acts.

• At the hearing of her complaint, Ms Tanase gave evidence of being refused entry to Boots on Henry Street, Dublin in October 2024 where she was seeking buy medicine for her sick child. She stated that a Security Guard refused her entry on the basis of her Roma ethnicity and that she was told by the Security Guard that he had been instructed not to admit members of the Roma community. In video evidence, the security guard was heard to refer to trouble with “you people”.

• In a decision published today, the WRC Adjudicator ordered Boots to pay compensation to Ms Tanase and directed them to ensure that security personnel at its premises receive training on the requirements of the Equal Status Acts (which prohibit discrimination on a number of grounds in access to goods and services).

• Notably, the WRC Adjudicator found that Boots was
‘vicariously liable’ for the actions of the security guard who was an employee of a third party: “The Respondent [Boots] appointed the employer of the guard, and it was the security guard who controlled entry to the premises and who interacted with customers in the course of providing the Respondent’s services to the public.”

24/09/2026

Earlier this morning, FLAC launched our Civil Legal Aid petition and delivered it to the Department of Justice.

The petition represents the largest ever coalition for civil legal aid reform in Ireland and is signed by 60 NGOs, Trade Unions, academics and advocates working in areas including housing and homelessness, domestic violence, disability rights, Traveller and Roma rights, migrant and refugee rights, anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ rights, and environmental rights.

Our petition calls on the Minister for Justice to ensure that Budget 2027 provides the resources for the establishment of a fit-for-purpose and properly-resourced civil legal aid system which includes targeted and preventative legal services for disadvantaged individuals and communities.

The full petition can be accessed at the link in our bio.

23/09/2026

This week is International Week of Deaf People - It is a time to recognise Deaf people, sign languages, Deaf culture and the rights of Deaf communities.

FLAC runs two clinics a month through ISL in partnership with SLIS and North Dublin CIS, with Sign language interpretation provided through IRIS (the National Remote Interpreting Service run by SLIS).

One of FLAC’s volunteers who happens to be Deaf provides free legal advice directly to members of the Deaf community as well as to hearing service users in our FLAC clinics.

A full list of events run by the Irish Deaf Society can be found on their website - https://www.irishdeafsociety.ie/irish-sign-language/international-week-of-deaf-people/iwdp26/

04/09/2026

A coalition of organisations representing those who rely on, work within and advocate for Ireland’s civil legal aid system today called on Government to make meaningful investment in civil legal aid a priority in Budget 2027 to allow for comprehensive reform of the system.

The organisations say that civil legal aid is fundamental to ensuring access to justice for people involved in some of the most complex and sensitive legal proceedings, including in family law, childcare, domestic violence and other matters affecting vulnerable individuals and families, as well as in areas which are currently largely excluded from the civil legal aid scheme, including housing, employment, social welfare and discrimination law.

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