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Utilisation of Legal Aid in Northern Ireland: Annual Statistics to March 2026

Statistical Bulletin 2/2026

An Official Statistics Publication.


Published by:
Information & Analysis Unit
Legal Services Agency NI
3rd Floor, AIB Building
92 Ann Street
Belfast
BT1 3HH

Contact: Information & Analysis Unit
Theme: Legal Aid
Coverage: Northern Ireland
Frequency of Publication: Annual


Publication date: 24th September 2026


KEY FINDINGS



  • During 2025/26, 422 solicitor firms and 633 barristers were registered on LAMS to provide legal services. Among the registered barristers, 119 (19%) were Senior Counsel, while 514 (81%) were Junior Counsel.

  • At 42.3 registered solicitor firms per 100,000 population, Belfast recorded the highest rate among local government districts in 2025/26. This was followed by Fermanagh and Omagh (28.0) and Newry, Mourne and Down (22.4), with each exceeding the Northern Ireland average of 21.9.

  • Since 2019/20, authorised expenditure to solicitor firms has increased by 29.3% (£16.0m) in net terms. Over the same period, payments to barristers have risen at a substantially faster rate. Authorisations to Junior Counsel increased by 54.8% (£11.0m), with expenditure to Senior Counsel increasing by 149.7% (£11.4m).

  • Reflecting the concentration of registered solicitor firms in the area, Belfast accounted for almost half of all solicitor expenditure in 2025/26 (49.0%; £34.6m). This was followed by Newry, Mourne and Down (10.3%; £7.3m), Derry City and Strabane (10.0%; £7.1m) and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (7.8%; £5.5m).

  • A relatively small proportion of firms accounted for the majority of solicitor profit costs. In 2025/26, 17.9% of firms (60) received almost two-thirds (65.7%; £32.3m) of total solicitor profit costs. Each of these firms received at least £250,000, with an average of almost £540,000. For criminal legal aid specifically, 10.5% of firms (29) accounted for 59.9% (£16.4m) of total criminal solicitor profit costs.

  • In terms of counsel, in 2025/26, 8.2% of barristers (39) received more than one-third (36.5%; £15.4m) of total barrister profit costs, with each receiving at least £250,000 and on average almost £400,000. Expenditure was more concentrated in civil proceedings, where 15.2% of barristers (62) received almost two-thirds (65.5%; £13.8m) of civil barrister profit costs.

  • Males had a substantially higher legal aid grant rate than females in 2025/26, at 47.3 grants per 1,000 population compared with 18.0. Although civil legal aid grant rates were broadly similar for males and females (10.1 and 9.8 per 1,000 population, respectively), the criminal legal aid grant rate for males (37.3) was close to five times that for females (8.2).

  • Belfast displays the highest rate of grants per 1,000 resident population with 46.5, followed by Lisburn and Castlereagh (39.5) and Derry City and Strabane (34.9) LGDs, which are all above the NI average of 32.5.




1. INTRODUCTION



This publication is the latest in a series of Official Statistics released by the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSANI), and the second to include information for the 2025/26 financial year.

In response to ongoing user needs identified through recent engagement, LSANI has continued to adopt a two-release model (first introduced in 2024/25) for these statistics. The first annual release, Legal Aid in Northern Ireland: Annual Statistics to March 2026, published on 28th May 2026, presented trends in legal aid activity in terms of grants of legal aid and related expenditure for criminal and civil cases from 2019/20 onwards. This reflects the period since LSANI’s digital case management system (LAMS) became operational. This second release extends this analysis by offering more detailed insights into the utilisation of legal aid by both applicants and suppliers throughout Northern Ireland.

A publication schedule for forthcoming Official Statistics releases is available on the LSANI website.



2. PROVIDERS OF LEGAL AID SERVICES - REGISTRATIONS, 2019/20 TO 2025/26



This section provides an overview of legal aid service provider registrations over time and examines the geographical distribution of solicitor firms up to the year ending March 2026.


Legal aid services in Northern Ireland are delivered to assisted persons through three main providers who must first register with the Agency to create an account on the Legal Aid Management System (LAMS):

  • Solicitors – generally the first point of contact for legal aid applicants providing advice and legal representation in matters dealt with in the lower courts;
  • Barristers – consisting of junior counsel (Barristers at Law) and senior counsel (King’s Counsel) who provide legal representation for applicants in the higher courts; and
  • Third-Party Payees – interpreting/translation related services paid directly by LSANI.



2.1 Registered Providers



2.1.1 Solicitor Firms

During 2025/26, a total of 422 solicitor firms registered on LAMS to provide legal aid services - down 2% on the number recorded in 2024/25 (431). The total number of solicitor firms receiving payment during 2025/26 (357) was 5% lower than in 2024/25 (374) (Figure 2.1; Table A1).

Factoring in the Northern Ireland population, the number of firms registered in 2025/26 equates to 22 firms per 100,000 population (Table A2).


Figure 2.1: Solicitor Firms, 2019/20 to 2025/26

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

2025/26

Registered Solicitor Firms

434

447

461

450

444

431

422

Solicitor Firms receiving payment

429

394

404

405

376

374

357



2.1.2 Barristers

During 2025/26, there were 633 barristers registered on LAMS to provide legal services. Whilst this represents an increase of 32 (5%) barristers since LAMS went live in 2019/20, this was 1% (6) reduction from 2024/25.

The total number of barristers receiving payment during 2025/26 showed a slight decrease (9; 2%) from 2024/25.

Compared with 2019/20, the total number of both junior and senior counsel has increased. Junior counsel rose by 2% (10), while senior counsel saw a more substantial increase of 23% (22). In comparison with 2024/25, junior counsel rose by 1% (5), while senior counsel saw a decrease of 8% (11) (Figure 2.2; Table A1).


Figure 2.2: Barristers, 2019/20 to 2025/26


2.1.3 Third-Party Payees

During 2025/26, there were five third-party payees registered on LAMS to provide legal services (Figure 2.3; Table A1).


Figure 2.3: Third-Party Payees, 2019/20 to 2025/26

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

2025/26

Third Party Payees

4

4

4

7

6

5

5

Third Party Payees receiving payment

3

4

4

6

4

3

4



2.2 Registered Solicitor Firms by Location



With a solicitor being the first point of contact for legal aid applicants, it is useful to consider the location of solicitor firms to help understand access to justice for the NI population. However, it should be noted that proximity of a residing population to a solicitor firm will provide a partial indication to how well an area is serviced for access to legal aid. Other factors such as proximity to court venue, number of solicitors per firm and area deprivation levels would need to be considered to get a fuller picture.

Figure 2.4 (Table A2) shows the number of solicitor firms registered during 2025/26 by local government district (LGD), number of firms per 100,000 population as well as average minimum distance to nearest solicitor firm.


Figure 2.4: Registered Solicitor Firms, Firms per 100,000 population and average minimum distance to nearest Firm (miles) by Local Government District (LGD), 2025/26

Local Government District

Solicitor Firms

Firms per 100k Population

Average Distance to nearest Firm (miles)

Antrim and Newtownabbey

14

9.5

1.5

Ards and North Down

24

14.5

1.8

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

47

21.1

2.1

Belfast

149

42.3

0.5

Causeway Coast and Glens

20

14.1

3.7

Derry City and Strabane

32

21.0

2.5

Fermanagh and Omagh

33

28.0

4.0

Lisburn and Castlereagh

12

7.9

2.0

Mid and East Antrim

19

13.6

2.4

Mid Ulster

31

20.3

2.8

Newry, Mourne and Down

41

22.4

3.0

Total

422

21.9

2.2


Looking at the distribution of registered solicitor firms in 2025/26 across NI by LGD shows that the largest proportion (35%) is located in Belfast council area with 149 firms, followed by 11% (47) in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, and 10% (41) in Newry, Mourne and Down. The lowest proportion of solicitor firms is observed in Lisburn and Castlereagh, having 3% (12).

Across LGDs, Belfast also displays the highest number of firms per 100,000 population with 42.3, followed by Fermanagh and Omagh with 28.0 and Newry, Mourne and Down with 22.4. The remaining 8 Local Council areas display a rate lower than the overall NI level (21.9). Lisburn and Castlereagh shows the lowest level with 7.9 firms per 100,000 population, followed by Antrim and Newtownabbey with 9.5.

The NI average minimum distance to the nearest solicitor firm is 2.2 miles. With Belfast having the largest urban population of all LGD’s it is unsurprising that it displays the lowest average proximity at 0.5 miles. This is followed by Antrim and Newtownabbey at 1.5 miles. The highest average proximity to solicitor firms is seen in Fermanagh and Omagh at 4.0 miles which is reflective of its large rural population. For illustrative purposes, Figure 2.5 presents a map of NI indicating the location of solicitor firms along with the population average proximity to nearest solicitor firm by the latest Census Data Zones, where the darker shading indicates areas with a closer average proximity to solicitor firms.


Figure 2.5: Registered Solicitor Firms and Average Minimum Distance to Nearest Solicitor Firm, 2025/26



3. PROVIDERS OF LEGAL AID SERVICES - EXPENDITURE, 2019/20 TO 2025/26



This section provides insights into authorised expenditure paid to providers of legal aid services, including a geographical breakdown of expenditure for the period up to the year ending March 2026.

Looking at overall authorised expenditure provides a fuller picture of the cost of legal aid to the public purse. However, it is worth noting that although the information in this section presents expenditure by provider type, not all of the remuneration value will be for work carried out by the provider. Authorised expenditure can consist of:

Profit Costs – Professional fees paid to providers for the legal services they provide;

VAT – Value Added Tax added to the cost of the service delivered by the provider; and

Disbursements – Predominantly solicitor remuneration for payment made on behalf of their client for third party services e.g. Medical Expert Report.



3.1 Authorised Expenditure by Provider Type



Figure 3.1 (Table A3) presents the authorised expenditure by provider type for each financial year from 2019/20 to 2025/26. Overall expenditure increased by 1% (£1.0m) compared with 2024/25, with expenditure on solicitor firms rising, while expenditure on barristers and third-party payees decreased.

The distribution of expenditure by provider type remains broadly consistent with prior years. Solicitor firms accounted for the majority of authorised payments (58%), followed by barristers (41%), while third-party payees represented a small proportion (0.4%).


Figure 3.1: Authorised Expenditure by Provider Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26


Figure 3.2 (Table A4) provides further insight into the areas of legal assistance delivered by each provider type in 2025/26. For solicitor firms and barristers, the majority of their authorised expenditure is related to activity in Criminal Courts (44% and 51% respectively) and Representation Higher cases (36% and 48% respectively). With solicitors being the first point of contact in all legal aid cases, 19% of their total expenditure is incurred across Advice and Assistance, Criminal PACE and Representation Lower cases where counsel is unlikely to be required. Exceptional Funding represents 1% of expenditure for both solicitor firms and barristers.


Figure 3.2: Authorised Expenditure Proportional Breakdown by Category of Service, 2025/26



3.2 Taxed Expenditure 2025/26 by Provider Type



In 2025/26, Barristers accounted for a larger proportion of taxed case expenditure, receiving 54% (£17.5m), while solicitor firms received 46% (£15.2m).

Looking at taxed case expenditure by barrister type showed that senior counsel accounted for 55% (£9.7m) of barrister expenditure with junior counsel receiving £7.8m (45%) (Figure 3.3; Table A5).


Figure 3.3: Breakdown of Expenditure by Provider Type, 2025/26

Authorised Expenditure(£) 2024/25

Percentage(%) 2024/25

Authorised Expenditure(£) 2025/26

Percentage(%) 2025/26

Solicitor Firm

15,098,154

45.2

15,222,446

46.5

Barrister

18,271,539

54.8

17,517,394

53.5

of which Senior

10,124,166

30.3

9,720,550

29.7

of which Junior

8,147,373

24.4

7,796,844

23.8

Total

33,369,693

100.0

32,739,841

100.0



3.3 Authorised Expenditure for Barristers



Between 2019/20 and 2025/26, authorised expenditure on junior counsel increased by 55% (£11.0m), while expenditure on Senior Counsel rose by 150% (£11.4m), indicating a substantially higher growth rate for senior counsel over the period.

Whilst expenditure for junior council increased by £0.1m (0.3%) in 2025/26 from 2024/25, expenditure for senior counsel decreased by £1.6m (8%), the first decrease in Senior barrister expenditure in the time series.

The proportion of barrister expenditure allocated to senior counsel has grown steadily, rising from 27% in 2019/20 to 38% in 2025/26. This share is a slight decrease from 40% in 2024/25 (Figure 3.4; Table A3).


Figure 3.4: Barrister Expenditure by Professional Level, 2019/20 to 2025/26




3.4 Authorised Expenditure by Solicitor Firm Location 2025/26



Looking at authorised expenditure by geographical location of solicitor firms provides additional insight into Legal Aid utilisation across Northern Ireland.

Figure 3.5 (Table A6) illustrates the distribution of 2025/26 expenditure by the LGD of solicitor firms. With the largest proportion of registered solicitor firms, almost half of solicitor expenditure (49%; £34.6m) went to firms in Belfast. This is followed by Newry, Mourne and Down (10%; £7.3m), Derry City and Strabane (10%; £7.1m) and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (8%; £5.5m). Solicitor firms in Causeway Coast and Glens had the lowest expenditure with £1.3m (2%).


Figure 3.5: Distribution of Authorised Expenditure to Solicitor Firms by Local Government District, 2025/26


Figure 3.6 (Table A6) provides a breakdown of overall solicitor firm expenditure within each LGD by criminal and civil groupings.

In 2025/26, four LGDs - Mid and East Antrim, Derry City and Strabane, Belfast and Mid Ulster - received a higher proportion of criminal expenditure (55%, 55%, 55% and 51% respectively) than civil expenditure. Authorised expenditure to firms in the remaining seven LGDs was comprised more of civil payments, exemplified with firms in Causeway Coast and Glens where over two-thirds (69%) of authorisations in 2025/26 were made in relation to civil cases.


Figure 3.6: Distribution of Authorised Expenditure to Solicitor Firms by Local Government District and Criminal/Civil proceedings, 2025/26



3.5 Authorised Expenditure by Provider and Expenditure Type



Expenditure analysis has so far focused on the overall expenditure to providers of legal aid. Table A7 disaggregates this to a more granular level, separating out profit costs, VAT and disbursements. This can provide a more accurate view on the amount of money that solicitor firms and barristers are paid to deliver legal aid, as opposed to the distribution of all costs associated with an entire case.

Focusing on profit costs alone (excluding VAT and disbursements), the 2025/26 split in expenditure between solicitor firms and barristers narrows from 58% vs 41% respectively for all expenditure (Section 3.1) to 54% vs 46% (Figure 3.7; Table A7).


Figure 3.7: Solicitor Firm and Barrister Profit Costs, 2019/20 to 2025/26


Breaking down these overall 2025/26 solicitor and barrister profit costs by category of service, as depicted in Figure 3.8, shows that expenditure from Criminal Courts and Representation Higher cases contribute 77% of solicitor profit costs and over 98% of barrister profit costs - down from 2024/25 for solicitors (81%) but up for barristers (95%). This breakdown of overall authorised expenditure in 2025/26, by payment type and category of service, is detailed further in Table A8.


Figure 3.8: Solicitor Firm and Barrister Profit Costs, 2025/26


An alternative pattern emerges when examining profit costs within taxed expenditure. Barristers accounted for the majority of profit costs incurred.

In the Representation Higher category, barrister profit costs represented 63% (£13.4m) of total profit costs. This trend was slightly more pronounced in the Criminal – Court of Appeal category, where barristers accounted for two-thirds (67%; £1.4 million) of profit costs (Figure 3.9; Table A5).


Figure 3.9: Solicitor Firm and Barrister Profit Costs - Taxed Expenditure, 2025/26

Criminal - Court of Appeal (£)

Civil - Representation Higher (£)

Solicitor

688,484

7,933,110

Barrister

1,414,053

13,364,998

Total

2,102,537

21,298,107




3.6 Distribution of Expenditure by Provider Type



Focusing solely on profit cost expenditure, it is useful to examine how legal aid is distributed among individual solicitor firms and barristers.

Figures 3.10 and 3.11 compare the proportionate distribution of providers by their share of profit cost expenditure received, by provider type across various levels of service. Tables A9 to A14 present more detailed information on the providers within set bandings of profit costs received, also disaggregated by provider type and types of legal aid.

The number of solicitor firms and barristers receiving profit costs is lower than the total number receiving payments reported in Section 2.1. This is because some providers only received disbursements during the year and did not receive any profit cost payments.

Accordingly, each line on the charts should be interpreted independently, as the proportions are calculated using different provider populations.

While overall profit cost expenditure reflects total legal aid income received by providers, expenditure presented for individual service areas does not necessarily represent a provider’s total legal aid income. Many providers undertake work across multiple service areas and may therefore receive legal aid income from more than one category. When considering the distribution of expenditure across Solicitor Firms, it is important to note that individual firms vary in size in terms of solicitor numbers.

Additional information on legal aid expenditure is provided in the LSANI Annual Statistics User Guide.

By default, curves for ‘All’, ‘Criminal’ and ‘Civil’ (profit cost) expenditure are visible in Figures 3.10 and 3.11, but other services (including Criminal Court Tiers) can be switched on/off by clicking on the legend.


3.6.1 Distribution of Solicitor Profit Costs

Figure 3.10 depicts that, in 2025/26, around a fifth of solicitor firms received around two-thirds of total solicitor profit costs. This is supported by Table A9, which shows that 60 firms (18%) received £32.3m (66%) of solicitor profit costs, with each firm receiving at least £250,000 - on average almost £540,000.

The concentration of expenditure is greater for criminal legal aid than it is for civil, with just over 10% of solicitor firms (29) receiving 60% (£16.4m) of criminal legal aid solicitor profit costs. This pattern is broadly consistent across all Criminal Court Tiers and within the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Advice and Assistance category (Table A10).

Within civil legal services, the distribution of profit cost expenditure across solicitor firms is heavily influenced by representation in the higher and lower courts. However, expenditure within civil Advice and Assistance displays the greatest level of concentration with only 12 solicitor firms (6%) accounting for over 70% (£1.2m) of associated annual profit costs. This is largely attributable to a small number of firms providing specialist advice on immigration and education matters (Table A11).


Figure 3.10: Distribution of Profit Cost Expenditure across Solicitor Firms by Type of Service, 2025/26


3.6.2 Distribution of Barrister Profit Costs

For barristers, Figure 3.11 shows that the highest earning 20% received around 60% of total barrister profit costs in 2025/26. Table A12 further shows that just over 8% of barristers (39) received over one-third (36%; £15.4m) of total barrister profit costs, with each receiving at least £250,000 and on average almost £400,000.

Unlike the pattern observed for solicitors, Civil legal aid expenditure among barristers was more concentrated, largely reflecting expenditure on representation in the higher courts. Around 15% of barristers (62 individuals) received almost two-thirds (£13.8m) of civil barrister profit costs (Table A12).

The distribution of Criminal barrister profit cost expenditure is largely influenced by work undertaken in the Crown Court and Magistrates’ Courts. However, expenditure is more concentrated within the Other Criminal Courts category, with around two-thirds of expenditure received by 22 barristers (14% of those undertaking this type of legal aid work; Table A13).


Figure 3.11: Distribution of Expenditure across Barristers by Type of Service, 2025/26






4. ASSISTED PERSONS



This section provides an overview of the characteristics of applicants to whom legal aid was granted in 2025/26, either by the Courts or the Agency, with a focus on age, gender and geographic location.

The figures in this section are derived from personal information recorded as part of the formal application process. In cases where such information is unknown or not available, they have been excluded from the respective analyses.

As legal aid is awarded and administered on a case-level basis, it is not possible to examine applications on an individual (person) basis. If the same individual is granted legal aid on multiple occasions within the reporting period, their characteristics will feature several times within the data.



4.1 Age and Gender of Assisted Persons



In 2025/26, a total of 264 legal aid grants were issued where the age and/or gender of the assisted person was not recorded at the time of application (47 with missing gender and 223 with missing age). Aggregate gender figures include all grants for which gender information is available, irrespective of whether age information was recorded. However, grants with missing age information are excluded from the socio-demographic analysis presented below, as results are disaggregated by both age and gender.

It is evident from Figure 4.1 and Table A15 that legal aid is more frequently granted to males than females. In 2025/26, 28% (17,625) of all applications were granted to females, compared with 72% to males (44,955). This male dominance in overall legal aid grants is driven by the vastly higher number of grants to males in criminal proceedings.

For both genders, the 30–39 age group displayed the highest volume of grants, accounting for over a third of both female (36%; 6,296) and male (34%; 15,359) grants in 2025/26. The second most common age group was 40–49 comprising just under one fifth of female (19%; 3,432) and male (19%; 8,375) grants. (Figure 4.1; Table A15).


Figure 4.1: Applications Granted by Age and Gender, 2025/26


When standardised using the latest Northern Ireland mid-year population estimates, individuals aged 25 to 39 were the most likely to receive legal aid in 2025/26, regardless of gender. Males aged 30–39 displayed the highest overall grant rate at 123.9 per 1,000 population, followed closely by those aged 25–29 (116.7). Among females, the corresponding rates were notably lower at 48.4 and 42.7 respectively (Table A15).

At 47.3 per 1,000 population, the overall legal aid grant rate for males was two-and-a-half that of females (18.0 per 1,000). Despite displaying similar grant rates for civil cases (10.1 for males and 9.8 for females), males were just under five times more likely to be the recipient of criminal legal aid (37.3 compared with 8.2).

To further explore the relationship between age, gender, and legal aid uptake, a relative index was calculated. This index divides the number of grants to each age-gender group by the corresponding population estimate, and then normalises these values against the group with the lowest utilisation – in this case females aged 60+, set as the reference value of 1.

The results indicate that a male aged 30–39 is 52.0 times more likely to receive legal aid than a female aged 60+ (the reference group), while a female counterpart aged 30-39 is 20.3 times more likely. Males aged 25–29 followed closely with an index of 49.0, with females in this group displaying an index score of 17.9.

While civil legal aid uptake was broadly similar across both genders, a disparity becomes clear in criminal cases. As illustrated in Figure 4.2, both males and females aged 30–39 had comparable civil index values (18.3 and 19.2 respectively), but diverged significantly in criminal legal aid, with males reaching an index of 101.1 compared to 22.0 for females (Figure 4.2; Table A15).


4.2 Geographic Location of Assisted Persons



Northern Ireland is comprised of 11 Council Areas, formally referred to as Local Government Districts (LGDs). Where a valid postcode has been provided as part of the application process, this has been used to assign the LGD.

From Table A16 it is apparent that, in 2025/26, the greatest volume of legal aid applications were granted to applicants in the Belfast LGD. At 16,377, grants to those in Belfast were almost three times that of the second highest district (Lisburn and Castlereagh; 5,997).

Once standardised by the resident population of each LGD (to produce comparable statistics), Belfast continues to display the highest rate of grants (46.5 per 1,000 population), again followed by Lisburn and Castlereagh (39.5) alongside Derry City and Strabane (34.9) LGDs, which are all above the NI average of 32.5 per 1,000 population (Figures 4.3 and 4.4).


Figure 4.3: Applications granted per 1,000 population, by Local Government District, 2025/26


In terms of criminal cases, Belfast displays the highest rate of grants at 32.2 per 1,000 population. This is 43% higher than the Northern Ireland average (22.5) and compares with the second highest rate of 26.1 in Derry City and Strabane. However, when it comes to civil legal aid, Lisburn and Castlereagh LGD displays the highest rate at 22.2 per 1,000 population, with Belfast second highest at 14.3.

Not only does Lisburn and Castlereagh display the highest rate of civil grants per 1,000 population across NI (22.2), and a rate that is more than double the NI average (10.0), but interestingly, it is also the only council area in Northern Ireland where civil grants exceeded criminal grants in 2025/26 (Figure 4.4 and Table A16). While the rate of criminal grants is comparable with other regions, it is the particularly high rate of civil grants to applicants within this LGD that causes this distortion. This is driven by the unique make-up of the local resident population that incorporates both HM Prison Maghaberry and Hydebank Young Offenders Centre. Of the 3,372 civil applications granted to those in the Lisburn and Castlereagh LGD in 2025/26, the majority were granted to applicants registered in these establishments. It has been estimated that removing these cases from the analysis would generate a civil grant rate in line with other similar LGDs.

Finally, the 2025/26 legal aid grant rate is lowest for applicants living in Fermanagh and Omagh (17.3 per 1,000 population) and Mid Ulster (17.4), with both LGDs displaying similar rates for both criminal (12.5 and 13.0 respectively) and civil (4.8 and 4.3 respectively) grants.


Figure 4.4: Applications Granted per 1,000 Population, by Local Government District, 2025/26

Local Government District (LGD)

Applications granted per 1,000 population - Criminal

Applications granted per 1,000 population - Civil

Applications granted per 1,000 population - Total

Antrim and Newtownabbey

15.5

7.3

22.8

Ards and North Down

12.8

7.0

19.8

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

17.6

7.1

24.8

Belfast

32.2

14.3

46.5

Causeway Coast and Glens

13.5

8.2

21.7

Derry City and Strabane

26.1

8.8

34.9

Fermanagh and Omagh

12.5

4.8

17.3

Lisburn and Castlereagh

17.3

22.2

39.5

Mid and East Antrim

17.2

5.8

23.0

Mid Ulster

13.0

4.3

17.4

Newry, Mourne and Down

18.1

7.5

25.6

Northern Ireland (Total)

22.5

10.0

32.5



4.3 Grants by Area of Deprivation



Financial eligibility is a key determinant in assessing entitlement to legal aid and, as such, grant volumes would be expected to correlate with an area’s levels of deprivation. Analysis of 2025/26 data confirm this relationship, with the highest number of legal aid grants issued to applicants in the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland (MDM Quintile 1), across both criminal and civil case types (Figure 4.5; Table A17). In contrast, the lowest volume of grants were recorded in the least deprived areas (MDM Quintile 5).

A clear linear trend is observed, whereby the number of grants decreases as deprivation levels fall. This pattern is particularly pronounced in criminal cases. Civil grants also follow this trend overall, although a deviation is noted in Quintile 4. This anomaly may reflect the specific nature of certain civil matters and the influence of HM Prison Maghaberry, which is located within this quintile.


Figure 4.5: Applications Granted by Multiple Deprivation, 2025/26




List of Tables

  • Table A1: Registered Legal Aid Service Providers by Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26
  • Table A2: Registered Solicitor Firms by Local Government District (LGD), Firms per 100,000 head of Population and Average Minimum Distance to Nearest Solicitor Firm, 2025/26
  • Table A3: Authorised Expenditure by Provider Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26
  • Table A4: Authorised Expenditure by Provider Type and Category of Service, 2025/26
  • Table A5: Taxed Expenditure by Provider, Payment Type and Category of Service, 2025/26
  • Table A6: Solicitor Firm Authorised Expenditure by provided Legal Aid Service and Local Government District (LGD), 2025/26
  • Table A7: Authorised Expenditure by Provider and Payment Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26
  • Table A8: Authorised Expenditure by Provider, Payment Type and Category of Service, 2025/26
  • Table A9: Distribution of Profit Cost Expenditure Across Solicitor Firms, 2025/26
  • Table A10: Distribution of Criminal Profit Cost Expenditure Across Solicitor Firms, 2025/26
  • Table A11: Distribution of Civil Profit Cost Expenditure Across Solicitor Firms, 2025/26
  • Table A12: Distribution of Profit Cost Expenditure Across Barristers, 2025/26
  • Table A13: Distribution of Criminal Profit Cost Expenditure Across Barristers, 2025/26
  • Table A14: Distribution of Civil Profit Cost Expenditure Across Barristers, 2025/26
  • Table A15: Applications granted and associated relative index values, by gender and age band, 2025/26
  • Table A16: Applications granted, by Local Government District, 2025/26
  • Table A17: Applications granted, by area of deprivation (MDM), 2025/26
  • Table A18: Legal Aid Movement across Local Government Districts in Northern Ireland, 2025/26

Tables

Table A1

Table A1: Registered Legal Aid Service Providers by Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26

Provider

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

2025/26

Solicitor Firms

434

447

461

450

444

431

422

Solicitor Firms receiving payment

429

394

404

405

376

374

357

Barristers

601

647

686

669

639

639

633

of which Junior (Barrister at Law)

504

540

568

552

509

509

514

of which Senior (Kings Counsel)

97

107

118

117

130

130

119

Barristers receiving payment

503

489

495

491

486

484

475

of which Junior (Barrister at Law)

435

407

415

412

391

391

386

of which Senior (Kings Counsel)

68

82

80

79

95

93

89

Third Party Payees

4

4

4

7

6

5

5

Third Party Payees receiving payment

3

4

4

6

4

3

4

Table A2

Table A2: Registered Solicitor Firms by Local Government District (LGD), Firms per 100,000 of Population and Average Minimum Distance to Nearest Solicitor Firm, 2025/26

Local Government District

Solicitor Firms

NI Population

Firms per 100k Population

Average Distance to nearest Firm (Miles)

Antrim and Newtownabbey

14

148,100

9.5

1.5

Ards and North Down

24

165,415

14.5

1.8

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

47

222,511

21.1

2.1

Belfast

149

352,390

42.3

0.5

Causeway Coast and Glens

20

141,954

14.1

3.7

Derry City and Strabane

32

152,383

21.0

2.5

Fermanagh and Omagh

33

117,687

28.0

4.0

Lisburn and Castlereagh

12

151,669

7.9

2.0

Mid and East Antrim

19

139,913

13.6

2.4

Mid Ulster

31

152,718

20.3

2.8

Newry, Mourne and Down

41

183,115

22.4

3.0

Total

422

1,927,855

21.9

2.2

Note:

Table A3

Table A3: Authorised Expenditure by Provider Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26

Provider Type

2019/20(£)

2020/21(£)

2021/22(£)

2022/23(£)

2023/24(£)

2024/25(£)

2025/26(£)

Solicitor Firm

54,500,110

44,519,869

55,801,329

59,061,226

62,884,201

67,952,773

70,491,135

Barrister

27,681,686

30,747,086

39,155,613

42,303,440

50,735,190

51,534,139

50,043,348

of which Senior

7,581,230

11,572,262

12,908,381

14,658,156

20,297,624

20,516,373

18,931,477

of which Junior

20,100,456

19,174,825

26,247,232

27,645,284

30,437,566

31,017,767

31,111,871

Third Party Payee

271,776

197,410

330,394

402,603

387,801

503,988

438,715

Total

82,453,572

75,464,365

95,287,337

101,767,269

114,007,192

119,990,900

120,973,199

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A4

Table A4: Authorised Expenditure by Provider Type and Category of Service, 2025/26

Category Of Service

Solicitor Firm(£)

Barrister(£)

Junior (Barrister at Law)(£)

Senior (Kings Counsel)(£)

Third Party Payee(£)

Criminal Total

35,830,235

25,294,734

16,807,877

8,486,857

54,106

Criminal Courts

31,034,795

25,294,734

16,807,877

8,486,857

54,106

Magistrates' Courts

14,800,387

6,710,191

6,700,193

9,997

13,327

Crown Court

14,704,353

16,122,793

8,767,125

7,355,668

32,514

Other Criminal Courts

1,530,055

2,461,750

1,340,559

1,121,191

8,264

Criminal Advice and Assistance (PACE)

4,795,440

0

0

0

0

Civil Total

34,660,900

24,748,615

14,303,993

10,444,621

384,609

Advice and Assistance Civil

2,032,064

0

0

0

247,920

Representation Lower

6,813,601

393,267

393,267

0

15,621

Representation Higher

25,207,333

23,770,938

13,637,359

10,133,579

121,069

Exceptional Funding

607,902

584,409

273,367

311,042

0

Total

70,491,135

50,043,348

31,111,871

18,931,477

438,715

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A5

Table A5: Taxed Expenditure by Provider, Payment Type and Category of Service, 2025/26

Provider Type

Payment Type

Criminal - Court of Appeal(£)

Civil - Representation Higher(£)

Total(£)

Solicitor

Profit Cost

688,484

7,933,110

8,621,594

VAT

137,697

1,580,395

1,718,092

Disbursement

62,064

4,820,698

4,882,762

Total

888,244

14,334,202

15,222,446

Barrister

Profit Cost

1,414,053

13,364,998

14,779,051

of which Senior

Profit Cost

934,370

7,165,819

8,100,189

of which Junior

Profit Cost

479,683

6,199,179

6,678,862

Barrister

VAT

277,945

2,460,701

2,738,646

of which Senior

VAT

186,874

1,433,164

1,620,038

of which Junior

VAT

91,071

1,027,537

1,118,608

Barrister

Disbursement

0

-302

-302

of which Senior

Disbursement

0

324

324

of which Junior

Disbursement

0

-626

-626

Barrister

Total

1,691,998

15,825,396

17,517,394

of which Senior

Total

1,121,243

8,599,307

9,720,550

of which Junior

Total

570,754

7,226,090

7,796,844

All

Profit Cost

2,102,537

21,298,107

23,400,644

VAT

415,642

4,041,095

4,456,737

Disbursement

62,064

4,820,396

4,882,460

Total

2,580,242

30,159,599

32,739,841

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A6

Table A6: Solicitor Firm Authorised Expenditure by Provided Legal Aid Service and Local Government District (LGD), 2025/26

Local Government District

Civil(£)

Criminal(£)

Total(£)

Antrim and Newtownabbey

1,329,096

912,664

2,241,761

Ards and North Down

2,401,876

1,462,976

3,864,852

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

2,956,442

2,572,163

5,528,604

Belfast

15,707,639

18,851,367

34,559,006

Causeway Coast and Glens

907,417

401,335

1,308,752

Derry City and Strabane

3,195,766

3,860,476

7,056,242

Fermanagh and Omagh

1,098,362

956,016

2,054,378

Lisburn and Castlereagh

910,439

439,240

1,349,679

Mid and East Antrim

930,251

1,124,215

2,054,466

Mid Ulster

1,554,473

1,648,709

3,203,182

Newry, Mourne and Down

3,669,140

3,601,073

7,270,213

Total

34,660,900

35,830,234

70,491,135

Note:

  • LGD is assigned on the registered postcode of each Solicitor Firm.
  • Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A7

Table A7: Authorised Expenditure by Provider and Payment Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26

Provider Type

Payment Type

2019/20(£)

2020/21(£)

2021/22(£)

2022/23(£)

2023/24(£)

2024/25(£)

2025/26(£)

Solicitor

Profit Cost

39,327,900

31,665,727

39,802,298

41,492,567

43,553,024

47,847,783

49,225,530

VAT

7,750,280

6,242,952

7,878,604

8,258,583

8,650,513

9,493,921

9,816,220

Disbursement

7,421,930

6,611,189

8,120,428

9,310,076

10,680,664

10,611,069

11,449,385

Total

54,500,110

44,519,869

55,801,329

59,061,226

62,884,201

67,952,773

70,491,135

Barrister

Profit Cost

23,735,629

26,078,903

33,248,512

36,038,555

42,963,207

43,566,414

42,373,629

VAT

3,896,794

4,643,031

5,733,748

6,241,134

7,773,278

7,958,299

7,671,764

Disbursement

49,263

25,153

173,353

23,750

-1,295

9,426

-2,045

Total

27,681,686

30,747,086

39,155,613

42,303,440

50,735,190

51,534,139

50,043,348

Third Party Payee

Profit Cost

167,150

147,633

268,698

331,883

323,168

419,296

364,592

VAT

33,045

29,527

53,721

66,230

64,632

83,885

72,924

Disbursement

71,581

20,250

7,976

4,490

0

807

1,200

Total

271,776

197,410

330,394

402,603

387,801

503,988

438,715

All

Profit Cost

63,230,678

57,892,263

73,319,508

77,863,006

86,839,400

91,833,494

91,963,751

VAT

11,680,119

10,915,510

13,666,073

14,565,947

16,488,423

17,536,105

17,560,908

Disbursement

7,542,775

6,656,592

8,301,756

9,338,317

10,679,369

10,621,301

11,448,539

Total

82,453,572

75,464,365

95,287,337

101,767,269

114,007,192

119,990,900

120,973,199

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A8

Table A8: Authorised Expenditure by Provider, Payment Type and Category of Service, 2025/26

Provider Type

Payment Type

Criminal - Criminal Courts(£)

Criminal - Magistrates' courts(£)

Criminal - Crown Court(£)

Criminal - Other Criminal Courts(£)

Criminal - PACE(£)

Criminal - Total(£)

Civil - Advice and Assistance(£)

Civil - Representation Lower(£)

Civil - Representation Higher(£)

Civil - Exceptional Funding(£)

Civil - Civil - Total(£)

Grand Total(£)

Solicitor

Profit Cost

23,417,144

12,007,144

10,230,343

1,179,657

3,943,814

27,360,958

1,671,971

5,004,864

14,730,877

456,859

21,864,572

49,225,530

VAT

4,675,270

2,395,658

2,043,742

235,870

784,127

5,459,397

329,772

1,001,630

2,934,049

91,372

4,356,823

9,816,220

Disbursement

2,942,380

397,585

2,430,267

114,528

67,499

3,009,880

30,321

807,107

7,542,406

59,671

8,439,506

11,449,385

Total

31,034,795

14,800,387

14,704,353

1,530,055

4,795,440

35,830,235

2,032,064

6,813,601

25,207,333

607,902

34,660,900

70,491,135

Barrister

Profit Cost

21,355,512

5,790,851

13,493,244

2,071,416

0

21,355,512

0

343,094

20,179,026

495,998

21,018,118

42,373,629

VAT

3,941,945

919,290

2,632,322

390,334

0

3,941,945

0

50,013

3,591,394

88,411

3,729,819

7,671,764

Disbursement

-2,723

50

-2,773

0

0

-2,723

0

160

518

0

678

-2,045

Total

25,294,734

6,710,191

16,122,793

2,461,750

0

25,294,734

0

393,267

23,770,938

584,409

24,748,614

50,043,348

Third Party Payee

Profit Cost

44,690

10,749

27,054

6,887

0

44,690

206,596

13,017

100,289

0

319,902

364,592

VAT

8,938

2,150

5,411

1,378

0

8,938

41,324

2,604

20,058

0

63,986

72,924

Disbursement

478

428

50

0

0

478

0

0

721

0

721

1,200

Total

54,106

13,327

32,514

8,264

0

54,106

247,920

15,621

121,069

0

384,609

438,715

All

Profit Cost

44,817,346

17,808,745

23,750,641

3,257,960

3,943,814

48,761,159

1,878,567

5,360,975

35,010,193

952,857

43,202,592

91,963,751

VAT

8,626,154

3,317,098

4,681,475

627,581

784,127

9,410,281

371,095

1,054,247

6,545,502

179,783

8,150,627

17,560,908

Disbursement

2,940,135

398,063

2,427,544

114,528

67,499

3,007,634

30,321

807,268

7,543,645

59,671

8,440,905

11,448,539

Total

56,383,635

21,523,906

30,859,660

4,000,069

4,795,440

61,179,074

2,279,984

7,222,489

49,099,339

1,192,311

59,794,124

120,973,199

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A9

Table A9: Distribution of Profit Cost Expenditure Across Solicitor Firms, 2025/26

Profit Cost Expenditure Band

Count of Solicitor Firms

Percentage of Total Solicitor Firms

Profit Cost(£)

Percentage of Total Profit Cost

Average of Expenditure Band(£)

Total

£1m +

7

2.1%

10,427,108

21.2%

1,489,587

£750k to <£1m

3

0.9%

2,383,203

4.8%

794,401

£500k to <£750k

7

2.1%

4,175,703

8.5%

596,529

£250k to <£500k

43

12.8%

15,334,553

31.2%

356,618

£100k to <£250k

67

19.9%

10,723,096

21.8%

160,046

Under £100k

209

62.2%

6,181,868

12.6%

29,578

Total

336

100.0%

49,225,530

100.0%

146,505

Criminal

£1m +

4

1.4%

5,334,816

19.5%

1,333,704

£750k to <£1m

3

1.1%

2,813,589

10.3%

937,863

£500k to <£750k

3

1.1%

1,686,014

6.2%

562,005

£250k to <£500k

19

6.9%

6,560,978

24.0%

345,315

£100k to <£250k

36

13.0%

6,174,697

22.6%

171,519

Under £100k

212

76.5%

4,790,865

17.5%

22,598

Total

277

100.0%

27,360,958

100.0%

98,776

Civil

£500k +

3

1.0%

1,585,315

7.3%

528,438

£250k to <£500k

11

3.5%

3,590,408

16.4%

326,401

£100k to <£250k

64

20.3%

9,829,980

45.0%

153,593

Under £100k

237

75.2%

6,858,870

31.4%

28,940

Total

315

100.0%

21,864,572

100.0%

69,411

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A10

Table A10: Distribution of Criminal Profit Cost Expenditure Across Solicitor Firms, 2025/26

Profit Cost Expenditure Band

Count of Solicitor Firms

Percentage of Total Solicitor Firms

Profit Cost(£)

Percentage of Criminal Profit Cost

Average of Expenditure Band(£)

Criminal Total

£1m +

4

1.4%

5,334,816

19.5%

1,333,704

£750k to <£1m

3

1.1%

2,813,589

10.3%

937,863

£500k to <£750k

3

1.1%

1,686,014

6.2%

562,005

£250k to <£500k

19

6.9%

6,560,978

24.0%

345,315

£100k to <£250k

36

13.0%

6,174,697

22.6%

171,519

Under £100k

212

76.5%

4,790,865

17.5%

22,598

Total

277

100.0%

27,360,958

100.0%

98,776

Advice and Assistance (PACE)

£125k +

3

1.3%

550,851

14.0%

183,617

£100k to <£125k

5

2.2%

531,029

13.5%

106,206

£50k to <£100k

17

7.5%

1,093,004

27.7%

64,294

£25k to <£50k

19

8.3%

690,923

17.5%

36,364

Under £25k

184

80.7%

1,078,005

27.3%

5,859

Total

228

100.0%

3,943,814

100.0%

17,297

Magistrates' Courts

£250k +

10

3.9%

3,844,418

32.0%

384,442

£100k to <£250k

27

10.5%

3,812,632

31.8%

141,209

£50k to <£100k

30

11.6%

2,139,772

17.8%

71,326

Under £50k

191

74.0%

2,210,323

18.4%

11,572

Total

258

100.0%

12,007,144

100.0%

46,539

Crown Court

£500k +

3

1.5%

2,807,708

27.4%

935,903

£250k to <£500k

4

2.1%

1,282,838

12.5%

320,710

£100k to <£250k

19

9.7%

2,699,117

26.4%

142,059

Under £100k

169

86.7%

3,440,681

33.6%

20,359

Total

195

100.0%

10,230,343

100.0%

52,463

Other Criminal Courts

£25k +

4

1.9%

535,812

45.4%

133,953

£10k to <£25k

16

7.7%

235,471

20.0%

14,717

£5k to <£10k

26

12.6%

182,025

15.4%

7,001

Under £5k

161

77.8%

226,348

19.2%

1,406

Total

207

100.0%

1,179,657

100.0%

5,699

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A11

Table A11: Distribution of Civil Profit Cost Expenditure Across Solicitor Firms, 2025/26

Profit Cost Expenditure Band

Count of Solicitor Firms

Percentage of Total Solicitor Firms

Profit Cost(£)

Percentage of Civil Profit Cost

Average of Expenditure Band(£)

Civil

£500k +

3

1.0%

1,585,315

7.3%

528,438

£250k to <£500k

11

3.5%

3,590,408

16.4%

326,401

£100k to <£250k

64

20.3%

9,829,980

45.0%

153,593

Under £100k

237

75.2%

6,858,870

31.4%

28,940

Total

315

100.0%

21,864,572

100.0%

69,411

Advice and Assistance (civil)

£100k +

4

2.1%

829,705

49.6%

207,426

£50k to <£100k

3

1.5%

190,556

11.4%

63,519

£25k to <£50k

5

2.6%

164,358

9.8%

32,872

£10k to <£25k

10

5.1%

190,027

11.4%

19,003

Under £10k

173

88.7%

297,325

17.8%

1,719

Total

195

100.0%

1,671,971

100.0%

8,574

Representation Lower

£100k +

3

1.1%

341,635

6.8%

113,878

£75k to <£100k

7

2.6%

613,299

12.3%

87,614

£50k to <£75k

19

7.1%

1,158,205

23.1%

60,958

£25k to <£50k

40

14.9%

1,301,674

26.0%

32,542

Under £25k

199

74.3%

1,590,051

31.8%

7,990

Total

268

100.0%

5,004,864

100.0%

18,675

Representation Higher

£500k +

3

1.0%

2,130,103

14.5%

710,034

£250k to <£500k

9

3.1%

3,192,176

21.7%

354,686

£100k to <£250k

29

10.1%

4,234,216

28.7%

146,007

£50k to <£100k

35

12.2%

2,405,962

16.3%

68,742

Under £50k

211

73.5%

2,768,421

18.8%

13,120

Total

287

100.0%

14,730,877

100.0%

51,327

Exceptional Funding

£25k +

4

22.2%

366,381

80.2%

91,595

£10k to <£25k

3

16.7%

52,141

11.4%

17,380

Under £10k

11

61.1%

38,338

8.4%

3,485

Total

18

100.0%

456,859

100.0%

25,381

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A12

Table A12: Distribution of Profit Cost Expenditure Across Barristers, 2025/26

Profit Cost Expenditure Band

Count of Barristers

Percentage of Total Barristers

Profit Cost(£)

Percentage of Total Profit Cost

Average of Expenditure Band(£)

Total

£750k +

3

0.6%

2,858,121

6.7%

952,707

£500k to <£750k

4

0.8%

2,193,721

5.2%

548,430

£250k to <£500k

32

6.8%

10,395,295

24.5%

324,853

£100k to <£250k

108

22.8%

16,307,986

38.5%

151,000

Under £100k

327

69.0%

10,618,507

25.1%

32,472

Total

474

100.0%

42,373,629

100.0%

89,396

Criminal

£500k +

3

1.2%

1,566,607

7.3%

522,202

£250k to <£500k

19

7.3%

5,950,617

27.9%

313,190

£100k to <£250k

54

20.8%

8,131,122

38.1%

150,576

Under £100k

183

70.7%

5,707,165

26.7%

31,187

Total

259

100.0%

21,355,512

100.0%

82,454

Civil

£750k +

3

0.7%

2,858,121

13.6%

952,707

£250k to <£750k

11

2.7%

3,817,217

18.2%

347,020

£100k to <£250k

48

11.8%

7,094,420

33.8%

147,800

Under £100k

345

84.8%

7,248,360

34.5%

21,010

Total

407

100.0%

21,018,118

100.0%

51,642

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A13

Table A13: Distribution of Criminal Profit Cost Expenditure Across Barristers, 2025/26

Profit Cost Expenditure Band

Count of Barristers

Percentage of Total Barristers

Profit Cost(£)

Percentage of Criminal Profit Cost

Average of Expenditure Band(£)

Criminal Total

£500k +

3

1.2%

1,566,607

7.3%

522,202

£250k to <£500k

19

7.3%

5,950,616

27.9%

313,190

£100k to <£250k

54

20.8%

8,131,122

38.1%

150,576

Under £100k

183

70.7%

5,707,165

26.7%

31,187

Total

259

100.0%

21,355,512

100.0%

82,454

Magistrates' Court

£100k +

9

4.8%

1,305,700

22.5%

145,078

£75k to <£100k

12

6.5%

1,019,018

17.6%

84,918

£50k to <£75k

25

13.4%

1,518,976

26.2%

60,759

£25k to <£50k

30

16.1%

1,147,947

19.8%

38,265

Under £25k

110

59.1%

799,211

13.8%

7,266

Total

186

100.0%

5,790,851

100.0%

31,134

Crown Court

£250k +

11

5.0%

3,823,940

28.3%

347,631

£100k to <£250k

28

12.8%

4,592,279

34.0%

164,010

£50k to <£100k

41

18.7%

2,897,750

21.5%

70,677

£25k to <£50k

39

17.8%

1,427,653

10.6%

36,606

Under £25k

100

45.7%

751,622

5.6%

7,516

Total

219

100.0%

13,493,244

100.0%

61,613

Other Criminal Courts

£100k +

4

2.5%

596,039

28.8%

149,010

£50k to <£100k

4

2.5%

301,580

14.6%

75,395

£25k to <£50k

14

8.6%

470,558

22.7%

33,611

Under £25k

140

86.4%

703,239

33.9%

5,023

Total

162

100.0%

2,071,416

100.0%

12,787

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A14

Table A14: Distribution of Civil Profit Cost Expenditure Across Barristers, 2025/26

Profit Cost Expenditure Band

Count of Barristers

Percentage of Total Barristers

Profit Cost(£)

Percentage of Civil Profit Cost

Average of Expenditure Band(£)

Civil

£750k +

3

0.7%

2,858,121

13.6%

952,707

£250k to <£750k

11

2.7%

3,817,217

18.2%

347,020

£100k to <£250k

48

11.8%

7,094,420

33.8%

147,800

Under £100k

345

84.8%

7,248,360

34.5%

21,010

Total

407

100.0%

21,018,118

100.0%

51,642

Representation Lower

£10k +

10

10.2%

126,337

36.8%

12,634

£5k to <£10k

13

13.3%

89,252

26.0%

6,866

Under £5k

75

76.5%

127,504

37.2%

1,700

Total

98

100.0%

343,094

100.0%

3,501

Representation Higher

£750k +

3

0.7%

2,845,283

14.1%

948,428

£250k to <£750k

11

2.7%

3,806,082

18.9%

346,007

£100k to <£250k

45

11.2%

6,624,951

32.8%

147,221

Under £100k

343

85.3%

6,902,710

34.2%

20,125

Total

402

100.0%

20,179,026

100.0%

50,197

Exceptional Funding

£25k +

5

23.8%

359,061

72.4%

71,812

£10k to <£25k

8

38.1%

113,891

23.0%

14,236

Under £10k

8

38.1%

23,046

4.6%

2,881

Total

21

100.0%

495,998

100.0%

23,619

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.

Table A15

Table A15: Applications granted and associated relative index values, by gender and age band, 2025/26

Gender

Age Band

Applications Granted - Criminal

Applications Granted - Civil

Applications Granted - Total

NI Population

Grants per 1,000 population - Criminal

Grants per 1,000 population - Civil

Grants per 1,000 population - Total

Relative Utilisation Index Values - Criminal

Relative Utilisation Index Values - Civil

Relative Utilisation Index Values - Total

Female

Under 18

641

938

1,579

212,466

3.0

4.4

7.4

3.1

3.1

3.1

18 to 24

1,005

817

1,822

72,147

13.9

11.3

25.3

14.4

8.0

10.6

25 to 29

1,098

1,332

2,430

56,881

19.3

23.4

42.7

19.9

16.6

17.9

30 to 39

2,770

3,526

6,296

130,090

21.3

27.1

48.4

22.0

19.2

20.3

40 to 49

1,505

1,927

3,432

126,724

11.9

15.2

27.1

12.2

10.8

11.4

50 to 59

673

720

1,393

130,259

5.2

5.5

10.7

5.3

3.9

4.5

60+

242

352

594

249,498

1.0

1.4

2.4

1.0

1.0

1.0

ALL

8,013

9,612

17,625

978,065

8.2

9.8

18.0

-

-

-

Male

Under 18

1,627

1,108

2,735

223,070

7.3

5.0

12.3

7.5

3.5

5.1

18 to 24

5,384

960

6,344

78,222

68.8

12.3

81.1

71.0

8.7

34.1

25 to 29

5,490

1,394

6,884

59,008

93.0

23.6

116.7

95.9

16.7

49.0

30 to 39

12,159

3,200

15,359

123,977

98.1

25.8

123.9

101.1

18.3

52.0

40 to 49

6,539

1,836

8,375

119,416

54.8

15.4

70.1

56.5

10.9

29.5

50 to 59

2,565

676

3,241

125,010

20.5

5.4

25.9

21.2

3.8

10.9

60+

1,485

394

1,879

221,087

6.7

1.8

8.5

6.9

1.3

3.6

ALL

35,387

9,568

44,955

949,790

37.3

10.1

47.3

-

-

-

Note:

  • NI Population figures are sourced from NISRA 2024 mid-year population estimates for NI.
  • Index Values have been calculated using the volumes of applications granted to each gender-age group, standardised by the equivalent NI mid-year population estimates.
  • Analysis excludes 264 granted applications where the gender and/or age of the assisted person is unknown. In cases where the gender is known (but not the age) they have been added back into the ‘ALL’ category for Male or Female respectively.

Table A16

Table A16: Applications granted, by Local Government District (LGD), 2025/26

Local Government District (LGD)

Applications Granted - Criminal

Applications Granted - Civil

Applications Granted - Total

NI Population

Applications granted per 1,000 population - Criminal

Applications granted per 1,000 population - Civil

Applications granted per 1,000 population - Total

Antrim and Newtownabbey

2,296

1,084

3,380

148,100

15.5

7.3

22.8

Ards and North Down

2,123

1,150

3,273

165,415

12.8

7.0

19.8

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

3,922

1,587

5,509

222,511

17.6

7.1

24.8

Belfast

11,343

5,034

16,377

352,390

32.2

14.3

46.5

Causeway Coast and Glens

1,920

1,158

3,078

141,954

13.5

8.2

21.7

Derry City and Strabane

3,972

1,343

5,315

152,383

26.1

8.8

34.9

Fermanagh and Omagh

1,474

567

2,041

117,687

12.5

4.8

17.3

Lisburn and Castlereagh

2,625

3,372

5,997

151,669

17.3

22.2

39.5

Mid and East Antrim

2,404

813

3,217

139,913

17.2

5.8

23.0

Mid Ulster

1,990

661

2,651

152,718

13.0

4.3

17.4

Newry, Mourne and Down

3,321

1,375

4,696

183,115

18.1

7.5

25.6

Northern Ireland (Total)

43,432

19,195

62,627

1,927,855

22.5

10.0

32.5

Note:

Table A17

Table A17: Applications granted, by area of deprivation (MDM), 2025/26

MDM Quintile

Applications Granted - Criminal

Applications Granted - Civil

Applications Granted - Total

Quintile 1 (most deprived)

15,196

5,791

20,987

Quintile 2

7,973

3,253

11,226

Quintile 3

5,834

2,852

8,686

Quintile 4

5,532

4,358

9,890

Quintile 5 (least deprived)

2,855

1,890

4,745

Northern Ireland (Total)

43,432

19,195

62,627

Note:

Table A18

Table A18: Legal Aid Movement across Local Government Districts in Northern Ireland, 2025/26

Local Government District (LGD)

Applications Granted to Assisted Persons

Applications Out

Applications In

Net Movement of Applications -
Number

Net Movement of Applications -
Percentage

Cases Granted to Solicitor Firms

Antrim and Newtownabbey

3,380

2,837

1,061

-1,776

-52.5%

1,604

Ards and North Down

3,273

1,981

1,743

-238

-7.3%

3,035

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

5,509

1,940

1,499

-441

-8.0%

5,068

Belfast

16,377

2,975

11,718

8,743

53.4%

25,120

Causeway Coast and Glens

3,078

2,375

208

-2,167

-70.4%

911

Derry City and Strabane

5,315

763

2,184

1,421

26.7%

6,736

Fermanagh and Omagh

2,041

898

288

-610

-29.9%

1,431

Lisburn and Castlereagh

5,997

5,370

436

-4,934

-82.3%

1,063

Mid and East Antrim

3,217

2,004

1,058

-946

-29.4%

2,271

Mid Ulster

2,651

1,050

602

-448

-16.9%

2,203

Newry, Mourne and Down

4,696

1,154

2,550

1,396

29.7%

6,092

Note:

  • Analysis excludes 7,093 granted applications where the LGD of the assisted person is unknown.
  • LGD is assigned on the registered postcode of each granted application and of the Solicitor Firm.




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