Our Motor team has vast experience of dealing with the defence of claims arising out of road traffic accidents and the nuances of how such claims are dealt with by the Courts in this jurisdiction. JCW Rea & Son have been practicing in the complex field of industrial diseases in the workplace for decades, handling all types of industrial and occupational disease claims for both insurance companies and self-insured clients alike.
Our commercial litigation team deals exclusively with non-personal injury matters on behalf of private and business clients. At JCW Rea & Son we passionately believe in creative problem solving and encourage our clients to consider mediation where appropriate. At JCW Rea & Son we can advise in relation to all professional negligence matters where that negligence has given rise to financial loss.
We specialise in comprehensive investigation of every type of incident and provide investigation reports in a timely and efficient manner. We are based in the heart of Belfast's Legal Quarter, less than 5 minutes-walk from the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland complex.
Our commercial litigation team deals exclusively with non-personal injury matters on behalf of private and business clients. At JCW Rea & Son we passionately believe in creative problem solving and encourage our clients to consider mediation where appropriate. At JCW Rea & Son we can advise in relation to all professional negligence matters where that negligence has given rise to financial loss.
We specialise in comprehensive investigation of every type of incident and provide investigation reports in a timely and efficient manner. We are based in the heart of Belfast's Legal Quarter, less than 5 minutes-walk from the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland complex.
Services
Our team
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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.
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.
History
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JCW Rea & Son is one of the oldest legal practices in Northern Ireland having been formed over 120 years ago.
The firm has traditionally provided legal services mainly to businesses, and in particular, the insurance sector in Northern Ireland.
The firm was acquired in the 1930s by a highly motivated lawyer called Frank Hanna, who had recently opened his own legal practice of Francis Hanna Solicitor.
Frank's father, Michael, had been a Law Clerk with J C W Rea & Son for many years and upon the retirement of the firm's partners, Frank saw an opportunity and bought the practice.
The firm has traditionally provided legal services mainly to businesses, and in particular, the insurance sector in Northern Ireland.
The firm was acquired in the 1930s by a highly motivated lawyer called Frank Hanna, who had recently opened his own legal practice of Francis Hanna Solicitor.
Frank's father, Michael, had been a Law Clerk with J C W Rea & Son for many years and upon the retirement of the firm's partners, Frank saw an opportunity and bought the practice.
Services
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Founded over 120 years ago JCW Rea & Son is one of Northern Ireland's longest established Solicitors firms, providing high quality and cost-effective legal advice.
While serving both businesses and individuals, we specialise in providing advices to the insurance industry.
Based in the heart of Belfast's legal quarter and less than 5 minutes' walk from the High Court and County Court precincts, our solicitors, who are a diverse range of individuals with varied backgrounds, skills and experiences offer a correspondingly wide range of services.
While serving both businesses and individuals, we specialise in providing advices to the insurance industry.
Based in the heart of Belfast's legal quarter and less than 5 minutes' walk from the High Court and County Court precincts, our solicitors, who are a diverse range of individuals with varied backgrounds, skills and experiences offer a correspondingly wide range of services.
Personal injury
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JCW Rea & Son deal with every type of personal injury claim on behalf of insurance and private clients alike.
We handle injury claims of all values arising from both private and commercial policies, including:-.
We assist with claims from the first notification of a claim to its conclusion and pride ourselves on our expeditious and thorough liability investigations.
We have a very experienced claims team handling cases of all values on a delegated or non-delegated authority basis, providing the highest quality of service which is managed through our tailored case management system, ALB.
We handle injury claims of all values arising from both private and commercial policies, including:-.
We assist with claims from the first notification of a claim to its conclusion and pride ourselves on our expeditious and thorough liability investigations.
We have a very experienced claims team handling cases of all values on a delegated or non-delegated authority basis, providing the highest quality of service which is managed through our tailored case management system, ALB.
Motor claims
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Our Motor team has vast experience of dealing with the defence of claims arising out of road traffic accidents and the nuances of how such claims are dealt with by the Courts in this jurisdiction.
We at JCW Rea & Son are passionate about trying to find ways of making the process of dealing with motor claims in Northern Ireland, fairer and more efficient.
The Civil Justice Reforms have gone some way towards achieving this in England and Wales, but sadly in this jurisdiction, with a Pre-Action Protocol that lacks 'teeth', we must continue to strive to try to achieve a more equal and balanced outcome for defendants and insurance companies in motor related claims, and we will remain committed to doing so until such times as legislative changes can bring this about.
We at JCW Rea & Son are passionate about trying to find ways of making the process of dealing with motor claims in Northern Ireland, fairer and more efficient.
The Civil Justice Reforms have gone some way towards achieving this in England and Wales, but sadly in this jurisdiction, with a Pre-Action Protocol that lacks 'teeth', we must continue to strive to try to achieve a more equal and balanced outcome for defendants and insurance companies in motor related claims, and we will remain committed to doing so until such times as legislative changes can bring this about.
Reviews (1)
Chloe Robinson
May 29, 2025
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Unfortunately, my experience with JCW Rea & Son Solicitors has been disappointing. I felt that my case was not handled with the care, diligence, or attention it deserved. Critical documents, including irrelevant and misleading photographs, were presented in court something I had flagged and expressed concern about. Despite raising valid points, my concerns were repeatedly dismissed or denied.
The complaints process felt defensive rather than reflective, with little accountability for the errors made. Communication was inconsistent, and I was left feeling unsupported at crucial stages.
I have since escalated my concerns to the Legal Ombudsman, hoping for a fair and thorough review. I would encourage others to be cautious and ensure they receive transparent and client-focused service.
The complaints process felt defensive rather than reflective, with little accountability for the errors made. Communication was inconsistent, and I was left feeling unsupported at crucial stages.
I have since escalated my concerns to the Legal Ombudsman, hoping for a fair and thorough review. I would encourage others to be cautious and ensure they receive transparent and client-focused service.
