Law Centres
FLAC Background
The Free Legal Aid Centres were established in 1969 by a number of law students. They provides some basic free legal services.
By the early 1970s FLAC had taken  on over 2,500d files in the area of family, crime, landlord and tenant law. This grew to 8000 by the mid-1970s. By that stage there was 60 lawyers, students at Aid Centres with 50 solicitors and 40 barristers working on a voluntary basis.
The Centres advocated strongly for a scheme of civil legal aid. It assisted in the opening of the first Community Law Centre in Coolock in 1975 mentioned below.
In the early 1980s FLAC was forced to close  the majority of its centres due to lack of funding. By the mid-1980s, it began to regain funding and was able to build its network again.
FLAC Now
FLAC continues to advocate particularly in the area of the inadequacies of the civil legal aid scheme. It played an important role in the advocacy towards passing of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995. It continues to highlight gaps in the scheme, and it continuous to maintain a campaign for purposes in the legal aid.
FLAC concentrates on four main areas legal aid, credit and debt, public-interest law and social welfare. It undertakes public interest litigation on occasion.
FLAC is governed by a Council elected by members at an AGM. It is an Independent Law Centre.
Solicitors and barristers donate expertise by way of legal advice. One aspect is campaigning at policy level. The second aspect is provision by lawyers on a voluntary basis in Centres of free legal advice about practical matters, including for example, employment, health, and safety, property issues.
PILA
The Public Interest Law Alliance is a project of FLAC. It facilitates lawyers using special skills pro bono. FLAC assists Laws Centres in obtaining pro bono legal advice from other solicitors and barristers through the PILA referral scheme.
A number of workgroups on law reform have been established in a range of areas by PILA. It runs a professional referral scheme that matches skills to specific needs or requests the assistance of nongovernmental organisations, Laws Centres and community organisations.
FLAC Information
FLACs offer specialist advice in the areas of immigration, family and employment law. It publishes legal information principally in the above areas.
It provides pro bono legal education sessions to organisations to improve their ability to advocate for their clients and service users.  FLAC publishes a range of information on its website in a range of legal information on its  website, particularly in the above areas.
It releases a quarterly magazine FLAC News which is intended for FLAC members and volunteers as well as other advisers and policymakers in the area of interest. Its publications are now online.
Law Centres
Independent Law Centres are not for profit voluntary bodies accountable to the community service. Solicitors who are employed by them are regulated on a special basis by Law Society regulations, which grant exemptions from some of the general requirements.
One of the earliest Law Centres was the Northside Law Community Centre, which has operated since 1975. It was the first Community Law Centre in the state. It provides legal services, particularly on family law, social welfare and debt issues, and housing.
It also provides advice in relation to wills and inheritance, consumer law, employment and equality. It offers free advice clinics to persons living within its catchment area. The organisation is staffed by a number of volunteers including practising lawyers.
There is special rules by the Law Society permitting employment by solicitors in Independent Law Centres. Generally, a solicitor may only be employed by a solicitor.
Refugee & Immigrant Support
There are a number of specialist Law Centres, some of which are supported by government. The Irish Refugee Council Independent Law Centre opened in late 2011. It employs a number of solicitors.
The service is aimed at meeting legal needs for those in the early stages of asylum process. It accepts referrals from related organisation. It provides an appointment-based legal aid advice clinic in Dublin City Centre.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland operates an Independent Law Centre. Its legal team can provide assistance and legal representations regarding immigration status. It is a free but limited service specific to the immigration area.