Author: Editor

Free Legal Advice Clinics Limerick – dates and locations

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Our new free legal advice clinic schedule for 2026 provides more frequent and convenient access to free legal advice for people living in Limerick.

New weekly phone clinic

We are pleased to introduce a new weekly phone clinic,making it easier to access legal advice when you need it. Appointments are 20 minutes long and take place over the phone with a qualified lawyer.

We provide independent confidential advice on a wide range of matters, including homelessness, housing, education, employment, debt and social welfare.

Appointments must be booked in advance – call 061 536 100 or fill in our online booking form.

Bi-monthly face-to-face clinic

In-person appointments are available bi-monthly in the following areas: Ballinacurra Weston, Moyross, Southill and St Mary’s Park.

These clinics are by appointment only. Appointments can be booked by calling 061 536 100 or through our online booking form.

Upcoming dates and locations (please note, this is not a walk-in service, all consultations are on an appointment only basis):

July

Moyross Community Enterprise CentreTuesday 14th July 202610:30am-12:00pm
Phone ClinicThursday 16th July 2026
10:30am-12:00pm
Novas Limerick, Mungret Street, LimerickTuesday 21st July 2026
10:30am-12:00pm
Southill Community HubWednesday 22nd July 202610:30am-12:00pm

August

Our Lady of Lourdes Community Centre, Ballinacurra WestonTuesday 11th August 202610:30am-12:00pm
Novas Limerick,
Mungret Street, Limerick		Tuesday 18th August 202610:30am-12:00pm
Phone ClinicThursday 20th August 202610:30am-12:00pm
St. Mary’s Alms HouseTuesday 25th August 2026
10:30am-12:00pm

September

Phone Clinic Thursday 3rd September 202610:30am-12:00pm
Moyross Community Enterprise CentreThursday 8th September 202610:30am-12:00pm
Southill Community HubWednesday 16th September 202610:30am-12:00pm
Novas Limerick,
Mungret Street, Limerick		Tuesday 22nd September 202610:30am-12:00pm

This service is free and available to people living in the regeneration areas & to residents of other underserved areas within Limerick City.

Please be aware that dates and times can be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.

Phone: 061 536 100

Email: info@communitylawandmediation.ie

A direct increase in homelessness and rooflessness: The far-reaching consequences of the Housing and Residential (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026

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We have written to the Minister for Housing, the Oireachtas Housing Committee and other stakeholders to raise serious concerns about the Housing and Residential (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026.

The Bill, as currently drafted, will cause a myriad of practical and legal consequences, including a direct increase in homelessness and rooflessness.

Read our letter in full:

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Free Mediation & Conflict Coaching Services

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Community Law & Mediation’s mediation and conflict coaching services are free and confidential. We offer an alternative method for parties involved in a dispute to resolve their issues and reach an agreement, in a manner which is acceptable to both sides.

Mediation is a voluntary process where parties in a dispute mutually agree to meet with a professional, impartial mediator. The mediator assists parties in finding ways to resolve a dispute. This helps them to work together towards an agreed solution.

Click here to find out more about our free mediation service.

Conflict Coaching is a structured process that helps people develop the skills needed to manage and engage with interpersonal conflicts better. A trained coach works with the client to build competence and confidence in managing their conflict. It is a future-oriented, action-driven process that focuses on each individual’s goals.

Click here to find out more about our free conflict coaching service.

To book into our free mediation or conflict coaching services, please fill out our online booking forms to begin the process, or contact us on 01-847 7804.

To book mediation, please fill out the following booking form.

To book conflict coaching, please fill out the following booking form.

Click here for more details about booking our services and what to expect from the sessions.

Social welfare appeals training – May 2026

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This online training course, delivered over the course of 1 half-day, will dive into the law relating to social welfare and social welfare appeals.

Topics included in the course include:

  • Introduction to the social welfare legal landscape
  • Overview of the social welfare decision making process
  • Overview of the social welfare review and appeals process, including in the Social Welfare Appeals Office
  • A practical toolkit for pursuing reviews and appeals


The main outcomes will be:

  • A broader understanding of the Irish social welfare law, as well as the mechanisms and procedures of the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
  • Empowerment of individuals to advocate on their own behalf in respect of their social welfare entitlements and their right to appeal.
  • Up-skill other advocacy services and organisations in social welfare law and social welfare appeals mechanism.

Location
This course is a half day course on Zoom from 10am-1pm.

Cost

€95

Dates

7th May 2026 10am-1pm

Booking details

To book in, fill out the registration details below and follow-up with payment via Stripe.

We will be in touch with confirmation of booking and with the relevant Zoom invitation link.

For further enquiries, please contact caseworker@communitylawandmediation.ie.

Your Details

* Mandatory fields

Know Your Rights ZINE WORKSHOP at Community Law & Mediation! 

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Our annual Legal Eagles programme 2025 concluded on Thursday 13 November when we welcomed students from Mercy College Coolock to our Northside Dublin office for a zine-making workshop with writer and facilitator Robyn Gill.

Students had the opportunity to reflect on, evaluate, and share what they’ve learned through this year’s programme.  

During the session, students designed their own interactive ‘Zine’ resources about what they learnt. Each of the 10 Zines produced by students were based on the Consent, Sex and the Law lesson with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, or on the Garda Powers (Stop and Searches) lesson with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.   

Below, you can check out an interactive showcase of the student’s Zines, which act as DIY resources that you can download and print for yourself. If you’re interested in printing these resources, or designing your own, check out this short instructional video. 

Consent, Sex and the Law 

Some of the students in attendance designed their Zines around what they learned during their lessons on Consent, Sex and the Law with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.  

The topics they covered included: 

  • What is consent?  
  • Checking in for consent – phrases  
  • Ways to communicate a NO 
  • Ways to communicate a YES  
  • What does the law say? 

Check all of them out below – You can download the Zines to print or read yourself: 

Download PDF
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Garda Powers (stop and searches) 

Some of the other students designed their Zines around what they learned during their lessons on Garda Powers (Stop and Searches) with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.   

The topics that they covered included: 

  • When can a Garda Stop & Search me?  
  • A Stop & Search quiz  
  • A list of Stop & Search facts!  
  • Stop & Search do’s and don’ts  
  • Where to go if you feel like you have been mistreated by gardaí?  

Check all of them out below – You can download the Zines to print or read yourself: 

Download PDF
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Many thanks to all of the students and staff of Mercy College Coolock that participated in the unforgettable workshop. 

Note: These Zines were prepared by students as part of a learning exercise and do not contain legal advice. 

CLM Launches New Report “Community Mediation in Ireland: Unmet Need, Delivery Challenges and Emerging Opportunities”

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Today we launch a new report exploring how community mediation can better meet the needs of communities across Ireland.

The report highlights the significant but untapped potential of community mediation to prevent and resolve disputes in areas such as neighbour and wider family conflicts, as well as issues affecting young people, Travellers, refugees and new communities. It shows that mediation has the greatest impact when it is integrated with other services and tailored to the specific needs of the participants.

The report sets out practical recommendations to expand and diversify mediation services, improve access across Ireland, safeguard vulnerable parties and ensure community mediation is supported and resourced on an equal footing with family and commercial mediation.

Written by Dr Heidi Riley, Adjunct Research Fellow at University College Dublin, this research was commissioned by Community Law & Mediation and funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

We are grateful to IHREC and to all those who shared their experiences and insights throughout this process.

Read the report below.

Download PDF
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Community Law & Mediation’s Annual Report 2024

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2024 was a year of progress for Community Law & Mediation, as we continued our mission to provide free, accessible legal, mediation and education services to individuals and communities facing exclusion and inequality.

Our Annual Report 2024 highlights the launch of our new five-year Strategic Plan, the growth of our work in environmental and children’s law, and our ongoing advocacy for systemic change in housing, social welfare, employment and access to justice across the board.

Each figure and initiative within this report reflects the lived experiences of those we support and our collective effort to advance equality and access to justice.

Guided by our mission to empower communities, tackle underlying injustice and exclusion, and advance rights-based changes in public policy and law – This report reflects both the scale and scope of our work to ensure access to justice for all.

Download PDF
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Placing Children’s Rights at the Heart of Housing Reform on World Homeless Day 2025

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No child should have to grow up homeless in unsuitable emergency accommodation.

It’s time to put children’s rights at the heart of housing reform. Every child deserves a home. 

This #WorldHomelessDay, we’re calling for urgent action to protect children living in unsuitable emergency accommodation. Right now, more than 16,000 people in Ireland are in emergency accommodation and 5,145 are children.

Too many families are confined to single hotel rooms for months or even years, without space to cook, play, study or simply enjoy their childhood.  

Recent reports by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Mercy Law Resource Centre and the Ombudsman for Children have all highlighted the devastating impact on families living in emergency accommodation and family hubs — from disrupted education to lasting harm on children’s health, wellbeing and development. 

The ongoing review of the Housing Act 1988 is a crucial chance to put children’s rights at the centre of housing law. 

Read our letter to the Minister for Housing below:

Download PDF
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The Centre for Environmental Justice response to the European Commission’s proposed 2040 target for carbon emissions reductions

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Carbon credits are not a fast or cost-effective solution to Europe’s need to decarbonise.

We call on the EU to continue its practice of achieving its binding climate targets domestically for the 2040 goal, as enshrined in the EU Climate law, for the 2030 target and for the 2050 climate neutrality goal.

Check out our full response to the European European Commission’s proposed 2040 target below.

Download PDF
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Meeting the Legal Needs of Children and Young People in Ireland – A Children’s Rights Analysis

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There is growing recognition internationally that access to justice is essential for the protection of the rights of children. It is especially important for protection from discrimination, violence, abuse, and exploitation, and for ensuring children’s best interests in all actions involving or having an impact on them. Children living in poverty are particularly vulnerable to the denial of their rights.

Community Law & Mediation (CLM) commissioned children’s law expert Róisín Webb to assess the need for a specialised legal service for children and the role it could play in augmenting existing work to advance the rights of children in Ireland. Thank you to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland for making this work possible.

Read or download the overview and the report in full below.

Our children’s law service

CLM offers free legal advice clinics for children and young people and the adults who support them on disability rights, problems at school like suspension or expulsion, discrimination, housing issues, LGBTI+ rights, environmental rights and more. It partners with youth organisations such as EPIC (Empowering People in Care) and Crosscare to ensure its service reaches those who need it most. It also provides training for children and young people, families and advocates/support workers on legal rights. To book an appointment, phone 01 847 7804 or submit this booking form.

Full Report

Download PDF
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