Partner at Irwin Mitchell
Sangita Manek is a litigator in Irwin Mitchell’s private client dispute resolution team. But when she was a trainee, she wanted to do tax law. ‘I loved maths and accounting-type of things.’ However, Sangita’s career began at a firm where she did a mixture of family and property law.
When she had her daughter, Sangita moved to a local firm, where she dropped the family work and started doing property and contentious probate. She then moved to Irwin Mitchell and focused solely on contentious probate.
Her background in family and property work has proved helpful. ‘Doing family law taught me how to manage relationships between a warring family and having regard to the value of proportionality. For example, a family is arguing over who keeps the china. It costs more to argue over it than the cost of the china itself. A dispute between siblings – on the face of it, it’s about money, but there’s unresolved family dynamics behind it.’
Sangita’s experience in property law was helpful ‘because when you do contentious probate you’re arguing over property’.
Now a partner at Irwin Mitchell, her work includes disputed wills, breach of trust claims, administration of estate disputes and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
Keeping people focused is key, including knowing the difference between legal and moral rights. ‘People often say: “That’s wrong. It’s unfair”. It’s not about morality. It’s about the law and interpretation of the law. You have to keep them on that track and manage expectations.’
Sangita often works with south Asian families. ‘As my reputation developed, I found people were coming to me probably because I’m south Asian.’ Growing up in the same society, Sangita understands the cultural context. For instance, ‘sometimes in south Asian cultures, particularly with the intergenerational side of things, people might feel uncomfortable challenging other people for their rights because of the taboo attached to it’.
'We’re all professional women. No one has time buying bespoke ingredients'
Some cases have had a lasting impact. Sangita recalls a client who was in an abusive relationship. ‘She was about to lose her home because of loans her husband took out and documents she was forced to sign.’ The case went to trial, which lasted several days, ‘and it was hard fought’. Judgment took four to five hours to hand down. ‘And we won. She preserved the roof over her head. She was in absolute tears.’
On current challenges, ‘the biggest one we face generally as lawyers is the number of clients who use AI’. Sangita recalls a client not too long ago who she could tell had run their letter of response through AI. ‘I could see straight away. I had to dissect that, change it around and put it into human format. I had to take out bits that had no relevance at all.’
Sangita is a Law Society Council member for Central London. On why she wanted to join, she says: ‘It’s having a say on what happens in our profession. We’re the voice of our solicitors. Unless we speak up about things that impact the profession as a whole, your voice is not heard.’
Away from work, Sangita has co-written a cookbook, Sweet Chilli Friday: Simple Vegetarian Recipes From Our Kitchen to Yours.
She and a friend regularly met up with their children. ‘We were complaining that we were making the same five dishes at home. We thought, if we share our recipes, we’ve got 10 between us.’ Sangita and five friends set up a cooking club, getting together once a month at someone’s house to enjoy a three-course meal and share recipes. ‘We’re primarily vegetarian. The only criterion is it’s got to be quick and easy. We’re all working, professional women. No one has time buying bespoke ingredients.’
The group found a publisher in Sheffield who loved their back story. During the publishing process, Sangita learned about food presentation, which she loved. For instance, how glycerin makes food shine. She also learned a lot about publishing, writing and food photography. ‘I’m so proud of what we did.’
As we wrap up, I point out that I have been wanting to expand my repertoire of recipes and may have to buy her book. A popular dish she recommends from the book: halloumi and broccoli curry.
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