CALL US 
Chartered Legal Executive
Contact Maria: 07557 375 550 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Practice areas:
Experience:
Maria is a Consultant Chartered Legal Executive joining SCOMO in January 2019 from Matthew Gold & Company Ltd, a well-known civil liberties firm where she was an Equity Partner/ Director and Joint Head of department leading a team of lawyers at their offices on the South Coast.
Maria specialises in civil liberties litigation primarily focussing on claims against the police and other detaining authorities, prisoner right litigation and associated public law challenges in a criminal justice context. She presently acts in various claims for false imprisonment, assault and battery, malicious prosecution, misfeasance, discrimination and breaches of human rights and data protection legislation.
Maria has experience of successfully bringing associated claims in judicial review, challenging the basis of police investigations, their outcomes and disciplinary decision-making in respect of officers facing misconduct proceedings.
Maria acts for families in inquest proceedings, predominantly those involving deaths in police and prison detention or the involvement of mental health services.
Maria has a small practice representing victims of historic child abuse seeking to secure an acknowledgement of wrong-doing and awards of compensation. She has so far been successful in this jurisdiction of securing damages for all of her clients despite often very lengthy delays in their report of often horrific abuse. Maria is acting for an anonymous victim of the sexual offending against minors of ex Detective Chief Inspector Philip Gaisford who was convicted of 25 offences in 2013.
Maria accepts instructions nationally and has notably been the ‘go to’ police litigation lawyer on the South Coast for a number of years including recognition as a Legal 500 recommended lawyer since 2015 where she is described as ‘thorough and experienced ’ and ‘excellent’. She qualified in August 2005.
Contact Maria O'Connell
Contact her today on 07557 375 550 or complete our online enquiry form.
