Finance Monthly Global Awards 2016 Edition

49 FINANCE MONTHLY Finance Monthly Global Awards 2016 How did your career path lead you to your current position? What have been the main challenges that you faced along the way? I have worked within the legal industry for 19 years, although I did not come about owning a law firm the conventional way: I started from the ground up, and I believe that this is the foundation from which the shape of the firm has been carved, and will continue to take moving forward. I started my career whilst at college initially working as a junior legal secretary locally in the town where I grew up in the North West of England. Over time, I climbed the ladder to become a senior secretary, and then a claims handler (otherwise known as a fee earner). Over the years, I completed part of both ILEX and a number of legal courses with the Open University towards an LLB. I did this as well as having a family After a move to Gibraltar in 2006 working for a time within the merged profession there, I became Practice Manager of a Firm, and began to wonder about setting up a Practice of my own. The simple fact was that, whilst I am not a solicitor or barrister, I wanted to be a business owner. After finding a Partner, the firm was born. The main challenges that I face have always been the fact that my peers have often considered me beneath them, or underestimated my ability due to the fact that I am not a solicitor or barrister. In truth, more often than not, this holds significant advantages, and has certainly made me more determined to succeed. It also allows me to relate with, and to understand with honesty the commercial pressures and personal problems that our clients face. What is the history behind Essenhigh Farrington Law? I returned to the UK where, in 2010, I established our Head office in Southport, Merseyside, and opened a further office in London in 2013. The latter is now a satellite base for the firm, and we now have a new satellite office in Spain. The firm continues to expand offering a wide range of services whilst trying to approach the law and our client relationships in a unique way. Indeed, when we were granted Alternative Business Structure status in 2015 this, I feel, allowed us to truly establish our market place. The structure gives our clients a better reflection of how the firm works, specifically how we approach legal problems for and on their behalf. Our fundamental aim is always to protect their interests in a pro- active rather than a reactive manner. What goals did you arrive with as a CEO of Essenhigh Farrington Law? What motivates you most about your role? My goal has always been, and continues to be, to provide a service that actively alleviates the stress and anxiety felt by individuals and business owners who find themselves in the midst of a legal argument, or who quite simply aren’t sure how to protect their legal interests. It is not possible to get it right every time, and inevitably our service won’t suit everyone. Each experience whether, successful or not, creates knowledge that can help the firm better itself. My motivation will always be to help others if I can. What have been some of Essenhigh Farrington Law’s major achievements recently? The firm has been recognised for its hard work, dedication and excellent service. in the last 10 months we have received accolades from AI Legal Awards for Best Specialist Litigation Law Firm – UK 2015, and three ACQ5 Law Awards for 2016. The prestigious panel of ACQ5 named us UK Niche Law Firm of the Year Cosmetic Negligence, UK Regional Litigation Law firm of the Year, and UK- Leading Customer Care Law firm of the Year. At the core of the Firm is a will to forever maintain an exceptional level of dedication to our clients. I very much hope that our clients’ satisfaction, and our success continues to be recognised in the future. As a professional with extensive experience within the Clinical/Medical negligence, what would you say are the key types of negligent behaviour in the clinical and medical profession? Given the heavily regulated nature of the industry, how is negligent behaviour allowed to come about in the first place? The failures within the clinical andmedical profession are wide ranging. They include anything from prescribing the incorrect medication, failure to diagnose or treat a condition, and to make serious errors during surgeries. The types of cases UNITED KINGDOM An Interview With Samantha Essenhigh