Introducing Jonathan Lea
Jonathan Lea Network Solicitors are a close-knit team of employed solicitors, paralegals and administration assistants, based in Haywards Heath in Mid-Sussex. Their flexible hybrid approach of solicitors allow them to represent both business clients and individuals, locally, nationally and internationally.
Last year, the team attended the Sussex Business Show where they connected with a lot of new people, generated some brilliant business inquiries and caught up with some familiar faces. This year, they’re joining again as one of our proud sponsors.
We catch up with Jonathan Lea himself to find out more about the independently owned and run law firm.
What’s one thing your business venture did that you didn’t expect?
Since we started in 2019, we’ve grown quite steadily.
But I didn’t ever anticipate the rate of growth we had last year. The first nine months of the year, we pretty much doubled our revenue compared to 2022, and that’s something I just didn’t foresee at all. Amazing as it was, it gave us new issues and new things to look at in the business and work around as we try and develop further from there.
What occupation, other than your own, would you like to try?
I’m not sure it counts as an occupation, but even though I might not look at it and I’m probably way past it now, I think if I had enough encouragement when I was younger then I really would have liked to be a professional tennis player. that’s a sport I’ve played since a young age. I play once a week now and I really enjoy the competitive nature of it and also being outdoors and the physicality and the mental aspect, um, and just trying to improve all the time. And also, if you are an international tennis player, you get to travel the world and you still have a team you work with and all the rest of it. Uh, who knows? You know, that would have been a great career if I had the chance again.
What has been your least favourite job to date?
I had a lot of part time jobs when I was growing up. The least favourite one was probably the first one I had when I was 16 and I thought I’d get out and try and earn some money.
I was very happy to get a job at the local farm and some of it was great, but the first week I was picking courgettes in a field next to a whole load of chickens that stank. It was really hot weather and my arms and legs just got scratches from these really prickly courgette plants. I also had a really bad back from leaning over picking these fruits.
Luckily after the week, I did a job that was somewhat easier at the farm, but I’ve got a lot of respect for anyone who works in the fields or that sort of work!
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
I could be remembered for one thing, I want it to be that I worked hard, had good values, integrity, and built a successful business.
Many will know, I’m also somewhat of a political activist. I’d like to be known as one of those people who stands up and speaks my mind, despite all the censorship the powers that be appear keen on. So I don’t mind sailing close to the wind and creating some issues for myself as long as I do what I think is right and I’m known for that as well.
What are three other podcasts you recommend to our audience and why?
Three podcasts I recommend would be:
- The Denning Pod
- Doc Malik,
- Our very own podcast – Jonathan Lea Network.
Katie Appleby (Marketing & Office Manager) tells us more about the Jonathan Lea Network:
So here at the Jonathan Lea network, we’ve started our own podcast interviewing some of our clients and local business owners and founders about their journeys and their successes to date.
We’ve created three episodes so far. The first one is Jonathan Lea interviewing Philip George at the Baytree Café, which is a local cafe in Haywards Heath.
The second one is about Jonathan Lea himself, so you can learn all about him. And the third one is interviewing our trainee solicitors and the process that they go through to become a solicitor.
Jonathan, any final words?
If you want to listen, please go onto our website and you can click through to the podcasts.
We’re looking forward to sponsoring and attending as exhibitors atthe Sussex Business Show on the 26th September.
In the meantime, if you want to find out about the Jonathan Lea Network, you can go to our website, jonathanlea.net
