Martin Hanna

Martin is our Managing Partner having practiced law in the firm since qualifying as a Solicitor in 1997.  He is the third generation of the Hanna family to be a partner in the practice.

Martin specialises in civil litigation and heads up the firm’s defence litigation department dealing with motor, employers, and public liability claims, with a specialist focus on large loss and catastrophic injuries.  

He specialises in cases where the injuries sustained are of the utmost severity such as catastrophic brain and spinal injuries, amputations, severe psychiatric injury, chronic pain, loss of senses, and is one of the leading specialists in Northern Ireland in dealing with asbestos related disease cases.   

Martin also advises on complex issues such as fraudulent exaggeration, life expectancy, mental capacity, periodical payment orders, provisional damages, accommodation, and rehabilitation management. 

In more recent years, Martin has worked on regulatory matters prosecuting referrals before the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal on behalf of The Law Society of Northern Ireland.  He also sits on the Contentious Business Committee of the Law Society. 

Claire Edgar

Claire read law at Cambridge University and trained in a London City law firm qualifying as a solicitor in 1996. She practiced as a family lawyer in England and then worked in Kosovo as a legal advisor for the United Nations before returning home to Northern Ireland to pursue her legal career. 

Claire joined the firm in 2004 to set up the Family Law Department. She was made a Partner in 2010 with overall responsibility for the Divorce and Family Law Department. 

Claire specialises in all aspects of family and relationship law including divorce, financial resolution, child, and domestic violence matters. She also provides advice and representation in relation to civil partnerships, international family law cases and prenuptial agreements. She represents both parents and children in public law cases having been appointed to the Children Order Panel in 2007 and the Guardian ad Litem Panel of Solicitors in 2012. She was appointed to the International Children Law Panel of Solicitors in 2019. 

Claire is an accredited collaborative lawyer and family mediator. She has been selected by Women's Aid to provide legal advices in their advice forum. She has served as a Director of Gingerbread and is a Director of the Children's Law Centre. Claire sits on the Belfast Domestic Violence Partnership Protection and Justice Working group. She has been invited to present at the European Conference on Domestic Violence, Stormont, and the Vital Voices International Institute on Gender Based Violence. 

Claire has a keen interest in high value financial settlements and has specialist experience representing clients in divorce proceedings and matrimonial negotiations involving complex business valuations and international issues.

 

Linda Johnston TEP

Linda became the Partner responsible for our Private Client and Commercial departments in the late 80’s. She has many years of experience acting for banks and financial institutions in relation to personal finance matters, in both lending and recovery. She has worked through the highs and lows of several financial cycles. Heading our Private Client department, she specialises in Chancery litigation, estate planning, disputed wills, and long- term health and social care issues.

Linda was the first NI member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), a UK network of specialist lawyers focusing on the increasing needs of our longer living population. In 2017, Linda played a key role in establishing an Elder Law Forum within the Law Society of NI, bringing together solicitors specialising in Elder law and mental capacity. She currently chairs the editorial board of the Journal of Elder Law and Capacity.

She is a member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and holds the internationally recognised CEDR accreditation as a certified Mediator. 

Combining her legal experience and broader interests in health care issues and medical ethics Linda has served as a Trustee/ Director of several registered charities in the health, social care, and environmental sectors.

She is a frequent speaker to parent and carer groups highlighting the importance of future financial planning to protect the interests of vulnerable or disabled family or friends. 

Linda also sits on the Non-Contentious Business Committee of the Law Society of Northern Ireland.  

Jennifer Young

Jennifer studied Law at Queens University Belfast where she attained an Honours degree in Law and a Masters Degree in Human Rights Law, before qualifying as a Barrister in 2002. 

She practised at the Northern Ireland Bar until 2004 and then trained as a solicitor in another leading law firm in Belfast before joining JCW Rea & Son in 2006, becoming an Associate in 2014.

Jennifer is a senior Associate in our Litigation department and specialises in the field of personal injury litigation. She has significant experience in dealing with employer's liability claims, road traffic accidents, occupier's liability and medical negligence claims, and has over 18 years’ experience in working in this area. She also deals with professional negligence and debt recovery matters.

In recent years Jennifer has built up a specialism in the field of defence litigation, representing one of the major leading insurance companies on a regular basis and now spends most of her time dealing with cases in the High Court, Commercial Court and County Court.

Jennifer believes that acting for both Plaintiffs and Defendants gives her a unique insight into cases which results in a superior service to all of her clients.