Optimal Solicitors

03/09/2026

Meet Maria Farrell 👋
We’d like to introduce you properly to Maria, one of our experienced solicitors specialising in clinical negligence and serious injury.

Maria is a senior solicitor with 25 years’ experience across clinical negligence and serious injury claims. Her unwavering commitment to client care makes her a perfect fit at Optimal, and she’s even won awards for it!

As well as championing the human side of legal services, Maria is highly accomplished in her field, earning her accreditations on The Law Society panel for clinical negligence and as a Senior Litigator for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).

With family in the medical profession and the greatest admiration for the NHS, she particularly connects with the technicalities of clinical negligence law. Above all, she is driven by assisting people who are in distress, need answers, and have nowhere else to turn.

Maria regularly speaks about the value of simply listening to a client in their hour of need, giving them reassurance and clarity where they previously had none, before providing dedicated legal assistance to help them move forward.

When she’s not supporting clients, Maria enjoys getting lost in art galleries with her husband. She also has a keen eye for good food and quality restaurants, so the team knows who to ask for a trusted recommendation!

Maria’s addition to the team is a huge boost that bolsters our key specialisms in clinical negligence and serious injury, and we couldn’t be happier to have her on board 🤝

02/09/2026

Please join us in congratulating August’s employee of the month, Jakub Wisniewski!

Here’s what the team had to say about Jakub…

“Jakub consistently performs at a high level, even when his typical day gets broken up with ad hoc tasks. He came up with great workflow ideas for the personal injury department. He also helped with training, assisted colleagues with their system issues, and helped IT support. Jakub is always on hand to help deal with any training or development queries. Nothing is too much trouble.”

Our other nominees had some great comments too. Thanks all for everything you do, you are greatly appreciated!

Katarzyna Gryszun – For being an absolute legend and dealing with many translation requests. Always ready to help and nothing is ever too much for her.

Walter Coupe – Another fantastic month dealing with some tricky cases.

Ricky J. – Always calm and willing to help, no matter how daft the question.

Ryszarda Kozikowska Dub – Provides great feedback and ideas to improve our workflows or templates.

Weronika Bojarska – Eager to help. Weronika has dealt with a couple of urgent translations for colleagues this month.

Congratulations everyone 🎉

01/09/2026

August was a big month for work anniversaries at Optimal 🙌

With two integral and long-standing members of the team celebrating their milestones, let’s recognise what they do for the firm and the game-changing impact they’ve made over the years!

🎉 Dagmara Maluszke – 9 years

“Dagmara is one of those people who quietly keeps everything moving. She supports the team, helps with the day-to-day pressure of client calls and enquiries, and makes sure people are responded to when they need us most. She is calm, helpful, reliable and always willing to step in when something needs sorting.”

“For many clients, First Response is their first proper contact with us. That first conversation really matters, especially when someone is worried, injured, upset or unsure what to do next. Dagmara helps make sure that first experience is handled with care, patience and kindness.”

🎉 Jacek Zawieracz – 11 years

“Jacek is full of ideas - the useful kind, thankfully 😄”

“He has played a big part in improving how our First Response team works and how clients move through their journey with us. He works closely with team leaders and our IT team to improve systems, communication and processes across the business, always looking for ways to make things smoother for both clients and colleagues.”

“Jacek has also been an early supporter of AI solutions and new technology, always looking at how innovation can help us work smarter, respond better and improve the client experience.”

Together, Dagmara and Jacek play a huge role in making sure clients are listened to, guided and supported from the very beginning. Optimal wouldn’t be the same without you 🤗

28/08/2026

Summer is officially over! And oh boy, it was a good one ☀️

Read our newsletter to see how our team are tackling the clinical negligence problem, our music-filled summer party, and some new team members 👀

Stay updated 🗞️ https://optimalsolicitors.com/news/optimal-insights-august-2026/

27/08/2026

Optimal Solicitors is in the news: Our own Maria Farrell is calling for “better listening” in maternity care as clinical negligence claims continue to rise.

🗣️ “When clients are left with avoidable and irreversible injuries, they deserve to know why things went wrong.”

In our firm, we’ve seen a 33% rise in clinical negligence claims driven by maternity care concerns – mirroring a widespread crisis across the healthcare system. Maria, our Specialist Clinical Negligence and Serious Injury Solicitor, says:

“Maternity safety is an area that stands out – not only for the scale of repeated failures that aren't being learned from, but the cascading level of tragedy and trauma that too often follows one significant mistake, or one call for help that wasn't properly listened to.”

Read the full article from Healthcare Management here:

Optimal Solicitors made the call as it reported a 33% rise in clinical negligence claims driven by maternity care concerns. Senior practitioner Maria Farrell,...

27/08/2026

The government are proposing what they are calling the biggest shake-up to wedding law in almost 200 years 💒

The new legislation, which probably won’t come into effect until next year, proposes that couples in England should be able to get legally married ‘almost’ anywhere, and not just at approved venues as the law currently states!

Apparently, white-water rafting, skydiving, and roller coasters “fall short of the standards”, but we could be seeing more back garden, cruise ship, and beach weddings coming soon 🤩

26/08/2026

Happy International Dog Day! 🐾

Our team wouldn’t be the same without these good boys and girls. From the ones who greet you at the door every morning to the ones snoozing under desks during meetings, they’re honorary members of the team.

Say hi to our office pack! 👉🐕

21/08/2026

We came for pizza. We left with a band. Sort of.

Our Optimal Summer Fun Activity Day had everything: fresh handmade pizza from The Pizza Post, an Afro Samba drum circle workshop, dancing, laughter… and a very humbling reminder that playing, singing and moving in time is much harder than it looks 😊

We then carried on the celebrations at The Garden Bar & Restaurant in Monton, where the team enjoyed a lovely meal, drinks, and time together away from the usual working day.

Team days like this matter because they remind us that behind every department and deadline are real people – people who work hard, support each other, and are willing to join in and laugh at themselves every now and again.

Thank you to Rachel and Charlotte for organising such a brilliant day, and to the whole team for bringing the energy. Same time next year, but maybe with a little more rhythm practice first? 🥁

20/08/2026

A delayed cervical cancer diagnosis had a life-changing impact for our client – resulting in invasive surgery, loss of fertility, and significant physical and emotional trauma.

She contacted Optimal Solicitors for help. Our team and Head of Personal Injury, Mark Thomason, supported her through a complex clinical negligence claim, securing:

✅ £140,000 compensation for injury
✅ £249,000 ringfenced for potential future surrogacy

This case wasn’t just about compensation. It was about helping our client regain choice, security, and a path forward after devastating circumstances.

Mark has deep experience in this field, and engaged the relevant experts to ensure collaborative negotiations with the NHS and compassionate legal support every step of the way. The outcome protected our client’s future, while recognising the wider importance of accountability and learning in healthcare.

If you believe clinical negligence has impacted you or a loved one, documenting your experience and seeking specialist legal advice can make all the difference.

Read the full case study here 👇

https://optimalsolicitors.com/news/supporting-our-client-through-a-389000-clinical-negligence-claim/

19/08/2026

Catastrophic injuries are always complex, often life-threatening, and usually involve psychological as well as physical trauma – especially where brain injuries are involved.

This is why it’s so essential to seek support from personal injury solicitors who specialise in this area.

Here’s our experienced Senior Solicitor in the Serious Injury team, Jonathan Grundy, to explain how we go above and beyond to build a strong case and support our clients 🗣️