Thirteen solicitors have applied for legal representation for 85 people at the Morris Tribunal which was set up to investigate allegations of Garda misconduct in Donegal.
The largest group seeking representation are 43 members and employees of the McBrearty family who claim they were harassed, intimidated and wrongly arrested by the Gardaí.
Others include the Flynn family, private investigators hired by the McBreartys, the Diver family who were arrested in connection with damage to a telecommunications mast, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Brendan Howlin, former Fine Gael spokesperson on Justice, Jim Higgins and Adrienne McGlinchey, who will give evidence on the Garda treatment of informers.
Mr. Justice Morris did not grant legal representation to the Garda Commissioner, Pat Byrne, but said he could renew his application at a later date.
The Officer who was in charge of the Donegal division at the time, Chief Supt. Denis Fitzpatrick, did not apply today for legal representation, but the Garda Complaints Board did.
Mr. Justice Morris said he will make a decision on all the applications this day week.
The Tribunal is due to begin hearings in the Autumn.
The Tribunal is also due to enquire into allegations that a garda was given a job of producing evidence to secure trumped up convictions and was paid in unworked overtime and expenses.
There was also an application made to Mr Justice Morris that the tribunal extend its terms of reference to include the killing of Sinn Fein member, Eddie Fullerton, who was shot dead in front of his family in Buncrana 11 years ago.
The origins of this Tribunal go back to October 1996 and the death of a cattle dealer, Richie Barron in Raphoe, County Donegal.
It was initially thought he was the victim of a hit and run but the Garda investigation soon became a murder inquiry and members of another local family, the McBreartys, became the focus of attention.
The McBreartys claim that they were subjected to intense Garda harassment.
Frank McBrearty Jr and his cousin Mark McConnell were arrested and detained in connection with Mr Barron's death but were never charged.
The extended McBrearty family were issued with over 160 summonses for offences varying from breaches of the licensing laws to road traffic and public order offences.
Around the same time allegations were also being made that certain Gardaí in Donegal were involved in hoax arms and explosives finds to boost their reputations within the force.
The Commissioner set up an inquiry into these and the McBreartys' allegations under Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty.
The Carty report has never been published but a number of prosecutions have followed. The first man charged was Bernard Conlon from Sligo who received a suspended sentence for making false statements to Gardaí alleging that two associates of Frank McBrearty threatened to kill him with a silver bullet.
A number of other men in Donegal are awaiting trial on other charges of making false charges.
One Garda Sergeant has also been charged by the Carty team. John White of Dreenan, Ballybofey is facing trial for the illegal possession of a fire arm.
Opposition calls for a public inquiry into the affair were not successful but the Government appointed Senior Counsel Shane Murphy to examine all documents in the affair.
Following on from his report, a motion establishing the Tribunal under Mr Justice Frederick Morris was passed in March of this year.
Its terms of reference include the allegations of harassment by the McBreartys; the Garda investigation into the death of Richie Barron with particular reference to the handling of informers, and allegations by the Diver family about an arson attack on a telecommunications mast in Ardara in 1996.
It will also deal with complaints that some Gardaí may have been involved in hoax explosives and bomb-making equipment finds.
