Sharing the love with our clients and community
Team Optimal has been feeling and sharing the love this month, from the connections we have with our community to the appreciation we feel from our clients.
The work we do for our clients is professional, but it’s never transactional and it’s always personal. We’ve built a team of quality solicitors and legal professionals that aren’t just good at the technical side, but also bring a real passion and determination for helping others through difficult situations. It’s part of our DNA and it’s why we really care when our clients take the time to provide feedback on our service.
It’s an added bonus that so many of our team love giving back to their local community, going the extra mile (sometimes literally 🏃) to help others who are less fortunate and contribute to charities that make real differences to people’s lives. Love comes back around when you keep giving it out – not just on Valentine’s Day or just in February, but all year round!
See what else has been happening in February at Optimal Solicitors and in the wider world of law 👇
Legal briefing
Is AI proving detrimental to the development of junior lawyers?
We already know that AI is improving the speed and efficiency that lawyers are able to complete legal research, first drafts, and document reviews. And it works – as long as sources are checked and verified properly. But it’s this act in particular that is proving difficult to achieve, with 72% of respondents in a recent study saying they were concerned that the use of AI means junior lawyers will struggle to develop legal reasoning and argumentation.
New study will assess targeted cooling collar for brain injury recovery
Traumatic brain injuries are among the hardest personal injuries to treat and recover from. Unfortunately, they’re often the consequence of negligent actions by others, which lead sufferers to seek legal support and a path to recovery. At Optimal, we’ll always fight for the best treatment, rehabilitation, and therapy for our clients as part of a wider approach to justice and support. And we welcome new studies which will assess the effectiveness of a brain cooling collar to improve patients’ recovery.
The Optimal pulse
- We celebrated Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek) where you celebrate the last big sweet feast before Lent – and celebrate it we did! The office was flooded with traditional rose-filled doughnuts; pistachio, custard, marmalade, and cottage cheese creations, and angel wings (faworki) dusted in sugar. Feast your eyes on our spread.
- Congratulations to our Head of Personal Injury, Mark Thomason, who successfully renewed his Clinical Negligence Accreditation from The Law Society! This reaccreditation represents Mark’s continued expertise, professionalism, and commitment in one of the most complex areas of claimant work. Well done Mark, thoroughly deserved!
Employee of the month
We have a tie! February’s Employee of the Month award is shared by Patrycja Delbowska and Sara Sikora, who pulled in equal votes from their colleagues 👏
Patrycja is always willing to help and never afraid of a challenge. Recently, she fixed the franking machine by replacing a part, proving that we apparently have an engineer on the team as well! Her proactive attitude and readiness to support others make her a real asset to the team. She’s always helpful and consistently delivers 100% in her work!
Sara recently worked very hard with her colleague to get a backlog of claim notification forms cleared, ensuring cases are progressing quicker at the crucial early stages. Sara has really got her head down and smashed through her tasks lately!
Worthy joint winners – well done you two! And now to recognise everyone else from the team who received votes…
- Ricky Jones – for all his IT support, positive attitude, humour, and eagerness to help.
- Jakub Wisniewski Kuba – always on hand and relied upon to come up with solutions.
- Jeff Sparke – goes above and beyond for his clients and is a pleasure to work with.
- Jonathan Walton – really helpful and always gets back to you as soon as possible.
- Ryszarda Kozikowska Dub – always has a great work ethic.
- Walter Coupe – helps people and makes them smile with his presence.
- Gabriella Madden – a supportive and friendly member of the team.
- Claire Gooch – always there to help, provide support and advice.
- Hemant Kumar – the highest billing fee earner in the Fast Track team.
- Sana Asghar – doing so much cross-department work, a testament to her ability.
- Grzegorz Szalas – always there to help and never leaves any issues unresolved.
- Paula Andrei – tackles each task and never shies away, a pleasure to work with.
- Wojciech Gorski – always very kind and helpful to his colleagues.
- Karolina Bobinska – incredibly helpful and supportive, with a friendly attitude.
So much great work and camaraderie this month! Let’s keep it going for March 💪
Work anniversaries
Congratulations to four exceptional Optimal employees on reaching their work anniversaries this month…
🎉 Jeff Sparke – 3 years
🎉 Rachel Simpson – 2 years
🎉 Gabi Madden – 1 year
🎉 Jonathan Walton – 1 year
You have all made a huge impact on the team and the firm in your relatively short time at Optimal. Well done on reaching your milestones and thanks for all the hard work you do for us 🙌
Latest blog: CICA Claim After a Violent Assault: £82,600 Compensation Secured
The impact of violent crimes and serious assaults is often twofold, leaving the victim not just with a physical injury but also ongoing symptoms of emotional trauma, time off work, and uncertainty about recovery. That’s why the government introduced the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) in 1996: to support and compensate those who have suffered.
In this case, our experienced legal executive Dominika Beza supported a client after he suffered a brain injury following a violent attack. She guided him through the CICA process and helped him achieve £82,600 in compensation. Read the full case study.
Introducing… Craig Fisher
Meet one of the latest additions to the Optimal team, Craig Fisher – our new Personal Injury Fast-Track Team Leader. Craig brings 18 years of experience in the legal field, 13 of which have been as a qualified solicitor specialising in personal injury and road traffic accident claims.
Craig excels on highly technical cases where pre-existing conditions and complex liability matters are at play, employing his skill, dedication, and empathy to get the best possible results for his clients.
He’s almost as passionate about litigation as he is for the beautiful game, specifically as a dedicated season ticket holder for Crewe Alexandra. And when he’s not watching or playing football, he’s probably tidying up after his three kids, playing golf badly, or locked into retro video games.
“I couldn’t fault the service”
We know that, when our clients come to us, they’re coming from a situation of potential pain and hardship. That’s why we take every step to put them at ease, making the process as smooth as possible while remaining professional and dedicated to a positive outcome.
Thank you to Chloe for recognising the work of our solicitor Hemant Kumar on this recent case!
Make the Optimal choice
Reaching out for support can feel overwhelming following a personal injury, which is why we make taking that first step simple. Our professional and empathetic team, from our first response experts to our dedicated solicitors, ensure that your journey to justice is as smooth and supportive as possible – reducing stress and giving you hope for the future.
Get in touch with our team today by calling 0161 250 7771 or completing our online contact form.
