Garda Station Solicitor Ireland
Specialist Garda Station Representation
Daniel Kreith
Principal Solicitor, Daniel Kreith & Company Solicitors
Every enquiry is handled personally, by me, in strict confidence.
Contacted by the Gardaí? Get advice before you attend
What you say in a Garda station matters. Message us now for confidential advice before your interview.
Garda station solicitor, Ireland
If someone is in a Garda station now, phone us. Do not read the rest of this page first.
We act for people accused of sexual offences, and we attend Garda stations across Ireland at any hour. Most of the calls we take are from people who have just been arrested, or from a family member ringing on their behalf.
Ask for a solicitor before the interview, not after
The most common thing we hear is "I thought I would explain it and it would be sorted."
It almost never works that way. What you say in a Garda interview is evidence. It is recorded, and it stays in the case from that moment. If you get the account slightly wrong under pressure, at four in the morning, having not slept, that becomes something you have to deal with for the rest of the case.
You are entitled to consult a solicitor before you are questioned and to have a solicitor with you during the interview. Ask. You do not need to give a reason, and asking does not make you look guilty.
When to call a Garda station solicitor
Call when any of these happen:
- You are arrested.
- The Gardaí ask you to attend a station voluntarily.
- You are asked to "come in for a chat" about an allegation.
- A relative tells you someone has been taken to a station.
- You are told a file is being prepared, even if you were released.
Do not wait to see how a long interview goes before ringing.
What happens when you call us
We ask three things: which station, whether the person has been arrested or is attending voluntarily, and what has been said about the allegation.
Then we contact the station, establish what is happening, and attend.
If you are ringing about someone else, you do not need to know much. The station name and the person's name is enough for us to start.
What a Garda station solicitor does at the station
We find out what you are actually detained for. What the allegation is, under what power you are being held, and how long that detention can lawfully run. You are entitled to be told, and people are frequently unclear on it.
We advise you privately, before questioning. This is where the real work happens. You tell us what you know, and we advise you on what is being alleged, what the Gardaí appear to have, and what your options are. That conversation is confidential.
We sit with you through the interview. If a question is improper, misleading or repetitive, we say so at the time. If the questioning moves somewhere unexpected, we stop the interview and advise you again.
We keep our own note. Interviews are recorded, but a contemporaneous note from someone who was in the room, watching how a question was put and how the tone changed, is a different and useful thing when the case is being prepared later.
Do I need a solicitor at a Garda interview?
- You are not obliged to answer.
- The position in Ireland is more nuanced than a simple right to silence.
- In certain defined circumstances a court can be invited to draw an inference from something you failed to mention during questioning that you later rely on in your defence.
- Whether that applies depends on the offence, on whether the required formal warning was given, and on exactly how it was given.
- That is the single strongest reason to take advice before the interview rather than after it.
- The decision is not "say nothing" or "explain everything".
- It is a judgement that depends on what is actually being alleged and what has been put to you, and it is not one to make alone in a custody suite.
Sexual offence interviews are different
Two things make these interviews harder than most.
First, the detail matters enormously. Questions turn on timing, on what was said, on what was understood at the time. A well meant narrative given from memory at 3am can create inconsistencies that take months to deal with.
Second, the subject matter is distressing, and interviews can run long. People agree to things through exhaustion that they would not agree to rested.
We do this work specifically. That is the practice.
Voluntary interviews and the Garda station interview solicitor
Not everyone who is interviewed has been arrested. People are often asked to attend a station voluntarily to give their side of things.
A voluntary interview is still an interview. What you say in it can be used in exactly the same way. Attending voluntarily does not mean you have agreed to answer questions without a solicitor present.
Talk to us before you go in.
If you have already been interviewed
If you were interviewed without a solicitor and have been released, the case is not necessarily over. Files frequently go to the Director of Public Prosecutions months later.
Write down what you remember being asked and what you said, while it is fresh. Then talk to us. What happened in that interview shapes what comes next.
Garda station solicitor coverage across Ireland
We attend Garda stations across Ireland. Most of our station work is in Dublin, where the Central Criminal Court sits and where the majority of serious sexual offence prosecutions are heard, but we travel.
If you are unsure whether we cover a station, ring and ask. It is a quicker answer than reading a list.
Garda station solicitor in Dublin
Most serious sexual offence trials are heard in the Central Criminal Court, which sits in the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street. Because of that, a large share of our Garda station work is in Dublin: Store Street, Pearse Street, Kevin Street, Blanchardstown, Tallaght, Clondalkin, Ballymun, Coolock, Finglas, Lucan and Dún Laoghaire among others.
If you are being taken somewhere in Dublin and you are not sure where, have whoever is with you ring us with the station name. We will find you.
Cases from outside Dublin are frequently sent forward to the Central Criminal Court, so you may end up attending court in the city even if the arrest happened elsewhere.
What it costs to have a solicitor attend
Ask us about fees when you ring. We will tell you plainly.
Criminal legal aid is available in many cases, and whether it applies depends on your means and on the charge. If you qualify, that is dealt with in the District Court. We will tell you if we think it is likely to apply to you.
Nobody should stay silent about wanting a solicitor because they are worried about the cost of asking.
Who we act for
We act for the person under investigation, and we take calls from their family. If you are a parent, partner or sibling ringing on someone's behalf, that is normal and we are used to it.
We do not act for complainants. This is defence work.
Speaking to us
Phone us at any hour if someone is in a station now. If it is less urgent, ring or send a message and we will come back to you.
What you tell us is confidential.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a solicitor at a Garda interview?
Yes. You are entitled to consult a solicitor before you are questioned and to have one present during the interview. What you say in a Garda interview is evidence and stays in the case from that point on, so advice before the interview is worth far more than advice after it.
Can I get a Garda station solicitor at night?
Yes. We attend Garda stations across Ireland at any hour, including nights and weekends. Arrests do not keep office hours.
How do I ask for a solicitor at a Garda station?
Say that you want a solicitor, and say it before any questioning begins. You do not have to give a reason. You can name a solicitor or ask that one be contacted for you, and you can ask at any point, including after an interview has started.
What does a Garda station solicitor actually do?
They establish what you are detained for and under what power, advise you privately before questioning, sit with you through the interview, intervene if a question is improper, and keep their own record of what was asked and answered.
Do I have to answer Garda questions?
You are not obliged to answer. In certain defined circumstances a court can be invited to draw an inference from something you failed to mention during questioning that you later rely on, which depends on the offence and on whether the proper warning was given. That is why the decision should be taken with a solicitor who knows the allegation.