Barristers to end strike over criminal legal aid

Criminal barristers in Northern Ireland are to return to covering legally aided Crown Court cases after coming to an agreement in their dispute over fees.

The strike, which began on 5 January, meant no Crown Court cases involving people who require legal aid could proceed while the dispute continued.

In a statement, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said 65% of their members voted on Thursday to return to full service.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the outcome of the vote was a "positive development" which it hoped would result in a return to services by all members.

The CBA said the withdrawal of services was taken "as a last resort".

They added: "Continued work and ongoing vigilance will still be required to ensure that the criminal legal aid system is placed on a sustainable footing for the longer term."

It comes after the justice minister agreed at the start of June to accept all recommendations made in the accelerated review of criminal legal aid.

At the time, Naomi Long said that she would take steps to implement an additional 8.66% increase to all criminal legal aid fees.

The CBA held a meeting with her and said its members would meet to consider their response.

The chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland, Donal Lunny KC, previously said the strike was called because crown court legal aid fees have not risen in 20 years.

On Thursday, the CBA said it had "engaged fully" in the review of criminal legal aid and had supplied evidence "to demonstrate that fees for criminal legal aid work needed to be increased to preserve the viability of the service and to reflect the time, skill and complexity of the work involved".

A spokesperson said the CBA had repeatedly stated that it wanted "to urgently find a resolution" to enable barristers to return to work.

"The Criminal Bar Association is committed to working with criminal justice partners to advance those cases that had been impacted by the withdrawal of services," the spokesperson added.

Legal aid for criminal court cases allows representation.

These cases usually take place in the magistrates' courts or Crown Court.

The CBA previously stated that legal aid rates for lawyers, when adjusted for inflation, have plummeted between 47% and 58% since 2005.

In November 2024, criminal barristers began withdrawing services in certain categories of criminal cases, such as refusing instructions in murder and manslaughter cases.