Claire Hunt

Solicitor - Healthcare

Claire joined O’Reilly Stewart in 2019 and works within the Healthcare Department. She is very proud to have been ranked as a Medical Negligence Solicitor in the Chambers and Partners UK Legal Guide 2026 which recognises talent throughout the legal profession based on professional achievements, client service and feedback from both clients and other professionals. She has received the following testimonials:

“Claire consistently displayed high levels of service. She was extremely attentive, reassuring as much as she could be and conscious of the stress I was under.”

“Claire was the first person we could contact on all matters. She had endless patience with us.”

“Claire is very knowledgeable in this area and provides clients with a top class service.”

Claire completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology followed by a Bachelor of Legal Science law conversion degree at Queen’s University Belfast. She then completed the Legal Practice Course at the former College of Law in Chester in 2006 and also undertook her solicitor training contract at a niche Clinical Negligence firm in Cheshire, qualifying as a solicitor in 2009. She then moved to another Clinical Negligence role at a larger AvMA accredited firm in Liverpool where she gained further invaluable experience until returning home to Belfast and taking up a Clinical Negligence role at another city centre firm in 2015.
Claire has practiced exclusively in Clinical Negligence litigation brought on behalf of patients throughout her career to date. She is very approachable and has considerable experience of conducting claims of varying complexity and monetary value including but not limited to birth injuries such as cerebral palsy and Erb’s palsy, general surgical and orthopaedic errors, delayed diagnosis of various types of cancer and cases arising from substandard A&E, psychiatric, neurological, oncology, paediatric and dental treatment.
Claire also has experience of assisting families who have sadly lost a loved one due to a medical accident and has also successfully pursued combined Clinical Negligence/Product Liability cases. She remains committed to achieving the best possible results for her clients during what are undoubtedly often some of the most difficult and distressing periods of their lives.
Claire also has significant experience in pursuing volume Clinical Negligence litigation against the same Defendant(s). Most notably, she has handled the majority of cases in which O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors have been instructed on behalf of patients and patients’ families who have been affected by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Neurology Patient Recall from 2019 to date.
Claire is dual-qualified in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales and is a member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland Clinical Negligence Practitioners’ Group. She also attends continuing professional development courses locally and further afield in order to keep informed of developments in this evolving and increasingly important and topical area of legal practice. She has also forged invaluable working relationships with other solicitors and barristers locally in addition to a wide network of independent expert witnesses both locally and in England & Wales.

Practice Areas

Healthcare

Recent Experience

  • £100,000 Damages recovered by Estate of Neurology Recall Patient Read
  • Laser Eye Surgery – Patient Recovers £50,000 Damages for Injury Read
  • Substandard Care of Fractured Elbow – £40,000 Damages Read
  • Neurology Patient Recall Victim Recovers £37,000 Read
  • Dental Negligence Claim Settles for £155,000 and Costs Read
  • £27,500 Damages for Post Partum Hemorrhage Read
  • £100,000 Damages for Failure to Diagnose Ectopic Pregnancy Read
  • £61,250 Compensation for Negligent Dental Treatment Read
  • £40,000 Settlement for Dental Claim Read
  • O’Reilly Stewart settles dental case for £35,000 for client who developed periodontitis Read

Memberships

  • Law Society of Northern Ireland Clinical Practitioners Group