LEGAL AID FARCE IN IRELAND

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday May 24, 2003 00:33 by Outsider

Access to the courts of law for those who can't afford legal fees - limitations of Irish democracy

The law setting up the Legal Aid Board of Ireland was very cleverly worded. Essentially it provides legal aid to litigants who are not going to cause any embarrassment to government departments.

LEGAL AID FARCE IN IRELAND

This is just an initial posting in the hope of resonating with others who have had a bad experience with the so-called 'Legal Aid Board of Ireland.'
What this comes down to is that the so-called 'Legal Aid Board of Ireland' is an agency of the Department of Justice. Therefore the 'LAB' is paralyzed if any poor person happens to have a legitimate grievance against a government official or minister. As a branch of the Dept of Justice, the LAB is part of the set up, so they will refuse legal aid to any poor person who wants to sue one of their cronies. The 'law' has a catch-all opt-out clause, whereby if 'in the opinion of the Board' the case is unlikely to succeed, they will refuse legal aid. How can we appeal against 'the opinion of the Board?' We may as well be appealing against the Offences Against the State Act, whereby the 'opinion of a minister' or the 'belief of a garda superintendent' was enough to intern people without charge or trial.
There is no legal aid in Ireland if you have a grievance against a government department, because the so-called 'Legal Aid Board,' with their misleading slogan "Access to Justice" are in the pockets of those same incompetent government officials you want to sue.
This legal aid farce demonstrates the limits of Irish democracy.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with the so-called 'Legal Aid Board of Ireland' and their misleading slogan "Access to Justice?"