Our Impact

FLAC is set up by four law students with the immediate aim of providing free legal advice to those who cannot afford it. The first FLAC advice centre opens in the offices of Saint Vincent de Paul on Mountjoy Square. The ultimate objective is to persuade the Government to establish a comprehensive system of civil legal aid.

Within 5 years, FLAC has 8 centres in Dublin and has taken on over 8,000 cases. The threat to withdraw its services leads the Government to form a working party on legal aid.

The first community law centre, Coolock Community Law Centre (now Community Law & Mediation Northside) is established.

FLAC engages in significant litigation with cases such as The State (Healy) v Donoghue which establishes the right to criminal legal aid, and C v C which dealt with family law remedies including a wife’s entitlement to a beneficial share in the family home.

The Government committee on legal aid publishes the Pringle Report with recommendations that reflect FLAC’s blueprint for the development of civil legal aid in Ireland. Implementation, however, is slow and a period of intense campaigning follows.

In Airey Ireland, the European Court of Human Rights finds that Ireland has not guaranteed effective access to the courts as a result of its failure to provide legal assistance to Josey Airey in her judicial separation proceedings.

Airey increases pressure on the Government and a State Scheme for Civil Legal Aid and Legal Advice is put in place. The scheme, however, has not followed the recommendations of the Pringle Report. FLAC closes its legal aid centres in Dublin and shortly after helps establish a network of legal advice centres in conjunction with other social service organisations.

FLAC establishes its first Welfare Rights Centres which have a focus on social welfare and employment law.

The State (Kershaw) v Eastern Health Board establishes that people on short-term social welfare payments are entitled to fuel vouchers, and in Hyland v Minister for Social Welfare the Supreme Court declares that a provision of the Social Welfare Acts which treats an unmarried couple more favourably than a married couple is unconstitutional.

FLAC is involved in a series of cases seeking equal treatment for married women in social welfare, pursuant to Directive 79/7/EEC, three of which are referred to the European Court of Justice. FLAC takes the largest representative action in the history of the State acting on behalf of 1,800 married women claiming arrears of social welfare payments. Ultimately the State agrees to pay compensation of up to £265 million to 70,000 married women

FLAC campaigns for the establishment of community law centres in Clondalkin and Tallaght. This campaign leads to state run law centres being set up. FLAC is also actively involved in the successful campaign for the removal of the constitutional ban on divorce in 1995.

FLAC publishes its report, ‘An End Based On Means?’ which criticises existing procedures for dealing with debt enforcement as outdated and confrontational. This report paves the way for FLAC’s subsequent policy work and litigation in the area of debt and credit.

FLAC establishes PILA, the Public Interest Law Alliance, to develop public interest law in Ireland. PILA develops the Pro Bono Referral Scheme as its core strategy for engaging civil society and the legal community in using the law to advance social change.

The High Court decides in Gabriel v Financial Services Ombudsman that it is not a legal requirement for a Hirer to pay up front any monies owed to end a Hire Purchase agreement under the Consumer Credit Act 1995

FLAC produces a report, ‘Redressing the Imbalance’, on the need for more robust rules to govern the provision of consumer credit and complaints mechanisms against financial service providers. This forms the basis for subsequent legislation in 2017, which improves redress mechanisms and strengthens the position of consumers making complaints.

After nearly 20 years of litigation and campaigning, the Gender Recognition Act 2015 is introduced and becomes one of the most progressive pieces of legislation on gender recognition in the world. Lydia Foy receives her long awaited birth certificate in her female gender, following the first Declaration of Incompatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights in Ireland.

29,000 people receive legal information/advice from FLAC's telephone information line or free legal advice clinics. There are now 66 FLAC legal advice clinics around Ireland, mainly based in and facilitated by the Citizen's Information Services and with the commitment of almost 600 volunteer lawyers.

FLAC secures a number of significant outcomes in cases involving social welfare, direct provision, debt and homelessness. The High Court awards compensation to a woman and child in Direct Provision for the excessive delay in determining her application for subsidiary protection resulting in a loss of child benefit.It also brings the first cases of discrimination by a landlord for refusal of the Housing Assistance Payment to an existing tenant.

The High Court vindicates the right to a secret ballot for people with a visual impairment in Sinnott v The Minister for the Environment. The case, supported by PILA, is brought by founding member of the Blind Legal Alliance, Robbie Sinnott.

FLAC establishes a weekly legal clinic for Roma in its head office.

The financial contribution to civil legal aid for victims of domestic violence in the district court is abolished following a successful campaign by FLAC.

In its 50th year, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins opens FLAC’s new headquarters at 85/86 Upper Dorset Street. The building is on the site of the birthplace of Seán O’Casey, the first Irish playwright of noteto write about the Dublin working class.

Pandemic Response - FLAC made a detailed submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 response, highlighting that rights and access to justice are even more important in a pandemic, and in particular the legal needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and groups.

The Traveller Legal Service (TLS) was formally launched with the support of the Community Foundation for Ireland, to respond to the enormous unmet legal need that exists within the Traveller community through representation in strategic litigation and through the provision of training and support to advocates working with the community.

FLAC was associated with the development of the Pro Bono Pledge in 2020, a new initiative which asks the members of the legal profession to commit to a target of 20 pro bono hours per year

In June 2021, FLAC, in association with the Law School, Trinity College Dublin, held a series of seminars on the Equal Status Acts. FLAC also called for the reform of the Equality Acts in its wide-ranging submission to the Independent Anti-Racism Committee (which is tasked with developing a National Action Plan Against Racism).

FLAC continued to act on behalf of a man with an intellectual disability who initiated a Constitutional Challenge to the Wardship jurisdiction which led to the repeal of the Marriage of Lunatics Act 1811 and commitment to commence the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 during 2022.

FLAC represented a client before the WRC in a disability discrimination complaint made by a woman who is deaf against a financial services provider.

FLAC launched the first three “From Pillar to Post” papers, in a series of four, to highlight concerns and generate debate in relation to the impact of Covid 19 on levels of household debt in Ireland.

2022 was a significant moment in the history of access to justice in Ireland when Minister McEntee established this Civil Legal Aid Review Group. FLAC is delighted to be part of the Review Group.

FLAC’s third specialist legal service, an LGBTQI+ Legal Clinic, was launched in 2022, which provides tailored legal advice and information to LGBTQI+ individuals. FLAC also began a unique research project in measuring unmet legal need among the LGBTQI+ community.

Landmark Supreme Court Judgment found laws limiting electorate for Seanad University Panels are unconstitutional, upholding a challenge brought by Mr Tomás Heneghan who was represented by FLAC.