Legal Aid

The Legal Aid Board is an independent statutory body responsible for the provision of legal aid for the administration of a number of ad hoc legal aid schemes connected with Criminal matters.  Please see their website for more information: Legal Aid Board. They also administer three non-statutory Criminal Legal Aid Schemes on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality.

Further information on Legal Aid is available on the Citizens Information website.

Solicitors Criminal Legal Aid Panel 2025 and into the future

For solicitors who want to be placed on the Solicitors Criminal Legal Aid (CLA) Panel for 2025, here’s what you need to do:

1. Submit your application between 1 December and 20 December 2024. Applications sent before or after these dates won’t be accepted.
2. Where to send it: Send your application to: legalaidpanel@courts.ie
3. What to include:
   • A completed Application Form (in Excel format).
   • A current eTax Clearance Certificate (eTC) that’s valid as of 1 December 2024.

When applying for an eTC on a Revenue account, please apply for the CLA panel eTC form which is available on their website.

We have a short guide on Completing the Legal Aid Panel Application Form (PDF)

No solicitor will be paid for criminal legal aid work if an application has not been submitted.  Payments will only be made from the date the application is received.  No arrears will be paid for the period during which an application was not submitted. This is a direction from the Department of Justice.

Where a solicitor changes company or sets up as a separate entity they should complete the Application form and submit it with their eTC to the Centralised Legal Aid Panel section in the Courts Service – email: legalaidpanel@courts.ie.  It is the responsibility of individual solicitors to submit their eTC on time.

Reminder Letter: Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) (Tax Clearance Certificate) Regulations, 1999 (S.I. No. 135 of 1999)

Contact information for query purposes: