WEST Cork’s district courts remain in limbo as the solicitor strike continues as The Law Society calls for an independent mediator to help resolve the dispute.

Cork solicitors have been on strike since July 1st in protest against sweeping government changes to the legal aid system.

They have withdrawn their criminal defence services from the legal aid panel.

Law Society president Rosemarie Loftus has now called for the appointment of an independent mediator to help bring an end to the dispute.

Ms Loftus has written to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to express her concern about the dispute’s impact on defendants, victims, court users and the wider administration of justice.

She also said she was surprised by the Minister’s recent claim that the courts were ‘functioning effectively’.

Ms Loftus pointed to ‘deeply worrying’ figures showing that the number of legal aid certificates issued nationwide fell by 93% in July, compared with the same month in 2025.

Certificates dropped from 10,277 in July 2025 to just 702 in July this year, she said.

The figures include a fall in the Children’s Court from 128 certificates to nine. In Cork city, certificates dropped from 579 to 18, representing a 97 per cent decline.

Talks held after the government’s one accused, one fee system was first introduced resulted in some changes, including provision for staged payments.

Under the new fee rules, multiple charges against one person can be treated as a single matter when they come before the court on the same day. Lawyers say this is unfair, especially where cases involve vulnerable clients, children or repeated adjournments of cases.

Shane McCarthy, chairperson of The Law Society’s criminal law committee, told RTÉ the arrangement effectively required lawyers to handle additional cases for free, creating chaos in the courts and restricting access to justice.

The Law Society has planned an information meeting with criminal law solicitors in Dublin next Wednesday, September 16th, to discuss the situation.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.