Elena Manukyan - Owner, Swan Solcitors
What were your career ambitions growing up?
I didn’t have the easiest upbringing, I was born in Moscow, and we moved to England (London), in 1995 when I was six years old. I couldn’t speak English and we had no friends or family here. The first few years of school were tough, I worked hard at school, and quickly learnt English. Growing up I had an interest in business, and it wasn’t until I went to university that I realised I had an interest in law, and changed from studying for a Business Management degree, to a law degree. From then on, I knew I wanted to qualify as a Solicitor, and that became an ambition of mine. Qualifying as a Solicitor isn’t easy, it’s very competitive, and can take many years. It is worth it though.
Tell us about your current role and what do you most enjoy?
I recently set up my own law firm, so I guess the early passion I had for business never went away, and I managed to combine my passion for business and law in the opening of my own law firm. I specialise in personal injury law and that’s what my law firm, Swan Solicitors, helps people with. The part of the job I enjoy the most is training new team members, who will hopefully go on to make great Solicitors one day. I’m fortunate to have had great bosses throughout my career, who I credit with any success I have had, and I hope to be a good leader myself to those that work for me. Getting great results for clients and winning cases always feels good too. In personal injury it very much feels like David vs Goliath, and we’re on the side of David going after large insurance companies or organisations, so winning always feels great.
What is your proudest business achievement?
Hiring my first team member will always be a proud achievement. There’s only so much you can do on your own in a business. Making your first hire can be daunting, but when you find a great candidate, you’ll soon realise that you can achieve so much more together.
How has your industry evolved in the last decade and what changes do you see in the next decade?
Personal injury has had a battering in terms of reforms. Peoples right to have legal representation continues to be impacted through reforms, which reduce, or in some cases, completely removes their right to recover their legal costs, meaning Solicitors don’t get paid to represent injured Claimants. This is something we’ve come to expert as Solicitors so we just adapt as best we can.
What are you currently working on?
Currently my biggest focus is building the law firm. At the moment, it’s more of a cygnet than a swan, I hope it grows into something beautiful, and that’s where a lot of my focus is.
Tell us about the team you work with.
We are only a small team of four at the moment, hopefully we’ll grow, but the aim isn’t to grow quickly or to huge numbers, the aim is to grow in a way which is sustainable and makes commercial sense.
What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Probably the same advice I’d give myself now; to enjoy the journey and not focus too much on the destination. I think it’s important to set goals, because then you have something to work towards, but enjoying the actual journey is so important. We only really have this moment, and if we can’t enjoy that, we won’t enjoy when we reach the destination. I’d also say ‘live life on life’s terms’, you can’t control most things, focus on those that you can, that’s where your energy will be best spent.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Still working in the legal industry and running Swan Solicitors. I also have an interest in legal marketing, and all things social media, so I may spend time working on those interests too.
Who would be your four ideal dinner guests, alive or dead?
I’d invite my mum, husband and maybe somebody funny to keep us entertained, I love Micky Flanagan – obviously I’d invite myself.
How do you unwind outside of work?
Good question – I work a lot, often six days a week, but on a Sunday, I volunteer at an animal shelter looking after the cats. I also like to eat out and get to a local Park Run on a Saturday morning to work off the calories.
Favourite book and boxset?
I read a new book every month, so this is a hard question, but I like anything motivational, so anything by David Goggins or Steven Bartlett. I also read a lot of business and marketing books.
www.swansolicitors.co.uk