Ireland's Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan met with the society on Monday and agreed to reforms for the criminal legal aid scheme, which began at the start of the month.

Solicitors in Cork and Wicklow have withdrawn indefinitely from the criminal legal aid scheme in Ireland. Their action is in protest against proposed reforms to the scheme.

Solicitors who are opposing new fee structures received hundreds of thousands of euros from the State last year, with the highest-paid collecting nearly €1 million under the criminal legal aid scheme.

A man charged with possession of €360,000 worth of suspected cannabis appeared in court without legal representation, amid an escalating dispute over the Criminal Legal Aid scheme.