Marta Grzelak joined McHale & Co when the law firm needed a Polish speaker to help build a new department.
Now, 10 years on, Marta, 35, is a partner and heads up the International Department at the Altrincham firm. She also writes her legal blogs in Polish on the McHale website.
Marta said: “Polish people started coming to the UK in 2004 so Andrew saw an opportunity and wanted to hire a Polish speaker. I only came for a year and the idea was to go back and get a better job in Poland.
“But I liked it here and Andrew offered me a permanent job. So I decided to study law, which I did in the evenings, and was offered a training contract.
”I started getting more and more clients and I liaised with them and the other departments within the firm.
“I got quite busy with admin in conveyancing and progressed from there.
Marta joined the Altrincham firm in 2006 having studied economics at university in Poland.
She then studied law at the Manchester Metropolitan University and became a partner at McHale & Co in June 2013.
She added: “We have an office in London and I spend a couple of days a month there.
“I have lots of contacts in London and people have got to know me.
“Our Polish clients demand that it’s me they deal with me and I now have five Polish people working with me in the team.
“I really enjoy my job, every day is different. It’s impossible to get bored because there is always something new to do
“I am very grateful to Andrew for giving me the opportunity and recognising my successes along the way .”
Marta, who is also fluent in Italian, specialises in conveyancing, personal injury, litigation and family law.
She was named Polish Businesswoman of the Year 2014 and runs the first Polish networking group outside London.
In her spare time, Marta enjoys walking, playing golf and travelling.
Andrew McHale, partner and founder at McHale & Co, said: “The Polish community was growing 10 years ago and a lot of people were buying houses in the area.
“A decade on and those same people are now business owners and we are dealing with their corporate work.”
McHale & Co now employs 50 people in offices in Altrincham, Stretford and Heywood.
The firm has 23 specialist lawyers, including Polish, Russian, Spanish, Italian and Chinese speaking staff, and also represents sportspeople through its agency McHale Sports.