Part of the longstanding heritage of Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors is to ensure that we utilise our legal skillset to assist, support and advocate for the more vulnerable members of our society. 

We are proud to continue in our firm’s tradition to engage in pro bono work and training to help improve the lives of those people in need within our society.  We have always made particular efforts to identify ‘hard to reach’ and disadvantaged groups and individuals within our community and have developed our pro bono services in response to their specific needs:-  

  1. Our Serious Injury Partner Martin Hanna is an active member of Action for Victim of Medical Accidents (AvMA),  a UK charity which provides free advice and support to people affected by medical accidents.  Martin has presented talks for the organisation to assist with training and information sharing.

  2. Our Divorce Law Partner Claire Edgar works tirelessly to provide information and support to those suffering from domestic abuse. Claire sits on the Belfast Domestic Violence Partnership Protection and Justice Working Group and assisted in developing a ‘legal remedies’ pack which was launched and disseminated to Social Services, PSNI and probation service professionals.  She has presented talks at the European Conference on Domestic Violence, at Stormont and at the Vital Voices International Institute on Gender Based Violence.

  3. We provide regular training seminars to trade union representatives to assist employees with work-related issues.

  4. Our Family Law Partner Karen Connolly Partner is a member of the Steering Group of Assist NI, an organisation which advocates for and supports victims of domestic abuse. Karen also sits on the Women’s Aid ABLCN’s Older But No Safer Steering Group, helping to raise awareness of domestic abuse suffered by older members of our community.

  5. Martin Hanna sits on the Contentious Business Committee of the Law Society. He is also a solicitor representative on behalf of the Law Society sitting on the Queen’s Bench Judicial Liaison Committee which is chaired by the Senior Queen’s Bench Judge

  6. Claire Edgar has served as a Director of Gingerbread, a charity providing support and advice for single parent families.  She also sat as a Director of the Children's Law Centre who work to protect the rights of all children living in NI particularly those who are the most disadvantaged.

  7. We have presented talks on future planning issues to various organisations including the Alzheimer’s Society, Mencap and Positive Futures

  8. Our Solicitors volunteer with Women’s Aid One Stop Shop to provide legal advice to those who may be suffering from domestic abuse as well as training to the support staff working in this field.  We also provide regular training sessions to various voluntary organisations working in the field of domestic abuse.

  9. Martin Hanna is a member of APIL, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, a not-for-profit organisation representing injured people.

  10. Our blog ‘Life Law NI’ was established by our firm in 2015 to provide straightforward, uncomplicated legal information on a wide range of legal topics to our clients base and the community at large, absolutely free of charge www.lifelawni.org.uk

In a world where lawyers are seen as “fat cats” and self-serving, we are keenly aware of both our professional and moral duty to represent the under-represented in our communities and to ensure that legal information and advice is accessible to everyone.  As our heritage continues to grow, we remain committed to engaging in the community we work and live in to provide pro bono services to those in need.