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District Court Family Law Panel

Overview

You will need to be enrolled as a solicitor in the State, have adequate professional indemnity insurance to the Board's satisfaction (currently €1.5m) and meet tax clearance requirements. You will need to apply in writing, on the application form, and give a signed undertaking to comply with the Terms and Conditions of membership and the provisions of the law regarding civil legal aid.

Application Process

Applicants apply at Law Centres for legal aid and advice. The application will be considered by the Board and if granted the applicant will be given a legal aid certificate. All persons granted legal aid at the Law Centre at Dolphin House are normally referred to the panel. At other Law Centres it is the Law Centre's decision in accordance with management guidance as to who is referred to the panel. There is no entitlement to be referred but we will take the wishes of the applicant into account. In Dublin it is normally a requirement that proceedings already have issued before we will make a referral and the Family Law Office at Dolphin House will assist parties with this.

A person who is referred to the Panel will be given a copy of an extract from the Panel with the names of the solicitors providing services in the county in which the court proceedings are taking place. Either the Board or the legally aided person then notifies the solicitor and provides them with the following documents:

  • The legal aid certificate which includes the legally aided person’s name, the nature of the proceedings authorised and the steps authorised on foot of those proceedings, in terms of the expenditure on witnesses that may be incurred; and
  • A Claim Form on which the legal aid certificate number should be entered.

The certificate is the solicitor’s authority to provide legal aid to the client under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995.  A copy of the certificate should be retained by the solicitor / firm on the client file.  Another copy of the certificate should be attached to the claim form for payment of the fee and any outlay, when the case is concluded. Legal services cannot be provided without a valid legal aid certificate.