Parties in Michael Flatley’s legal dispute with his former solicitor are set to enter mediation, the High Court has heard.
Judge David Barniville on Friday welcomed the prospect of mediation in the case and said he would urge the sides to redouble their efforts to resolve the matter.
The legal row between the entertainer and his former solicitor began at the start of the year amid allegations on both sides about legal fees and an alleged hold on files.
Flatley is seeking to compel Maxwell Mooney and Company solicitors, with offices at Maynooth, Co Kildare, to hand over the files relating to the proceedings about and linked to the entertainer’s mansion Castlehyde in Fermoy, Co Cork.
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In court on Friday Niall Buckley, for Flatley, said it had been agreed that the parties would go to mediation with talks expected to take place at the end of March or at dates in April.
He said if the mediation was not successful then the court would have to set aside a half-day for the hearing of the case.
Buckley said there was a continuing urgency as the Flatley appeal against a €1.1 million security for costs order made against him in his €30 million court action over works carried out at his mansion was due to be heard by the Court of Appeal on June 7th.
The judge made directions in relation to documentation in the case and it will be mentioned before the court on April 24th.
In his case, the Flatley side is seeking for Maxwell Mooney be directed to produce or deliver the client files in respect of all legal services provided to Flatley.
The Flatley side are also seeking an order compelling Mooney to provide a copy of the Flatley client account.
The court previously heard how the relationship between Flatley and his former solicitor broke down last November.
In an sworn statement to the court, the entertainer said it was not correct that invoices relating to legal fees have not been paid to Mooney.
Flatley said he could confirm the payments set out in the affidavit of his new solicitor Barry Creed, which stipulated that a total of €487,837 had been paid by Flatley or on his behalf between May 2022 and August 2025. Creed stated it was unclear whether €290,000 had been applied as fees or whether they remain held on account.
Flatley also alleged in the document before the court that there was an alleged failure to provide all client account information which he claimed he requested three months ago. This, Flatley claimed, is impeding the orderly progression of his litigation.
Flatley also claimed in July last year he was concerned about how his proceedings were being managed “and in particular the many negative headlines which were published about me”.
“At all time I was informed that matters were progressing positively, however, the media depicted a very different picture,” he alleged.
In an affidavit, Creed said extensive correspondence was exchanged with Mooney and that Mooney wrote that his office was “exercising a general lien” over all files and papers relating to Flatley until we and counsel are paid in full.
