Strong legal background can boost an insurance career

Find out how this lawyer managed to finish his degree while working as an insurance professional

People

Apr 26, 2018 Share

For insurance professionals to thrive in the industry, they need to have a strong desire to continuously learn, an interest in helping others, and the acceptance that no-one knows every answer.

In his more than 10 years on the insurance scene, Aleckson Insurance Agency vice president Eric Swanson (pictured) has already made his mark in the industry thanks to possessing these three qualities. He has also blazed a new trail for others to follow, by marrying his expertise in insurance with his legal background.

In 2015, Swanson successfully finished his juris doctor degree in Chicago-Kent College of Law after spending years attending evening classes while still fulfilling his role as a producer at Aleckson. Despite having a lot on his plate at that time, he was still able to consistently be at the top of his class, securing a spot on the Dean’s List. He also received the CALI (Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) Excellence for the Future Award in 2014 after hitting the highest grade in Chicago Kent College of Law’s Fall 2014 Mediation course. Swanson passed the bar exam about three years ago.

Insurance Business had a brief conversation with Swanson to know more about his career and motivation. In this interview, he shares his greatest achievement in the field thus far and how his legal background has helped him.

Please share with us how you got into the insurance industry, what led you to this career?

I started in the insurance industry after graduating college with plans to go into investment banking. But with few jobs available in banking at the time, I was presented with an opportunity as a commercial producer and never looked back.

Tell us briefly about your company and its role in the insurance industry. What makes it different from other companies in the same space?

Since 2008, Aleckson Insurance has constantly increased our unique value to our clients. In the last 10 years, we added several experts and I became a licensed attorney to augment our value proposition and now we deliver risk management that touches every aspect of an organization from the employee’s safety, to contract management and even the corporate structure.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?

I’m proud of each time I am able to make a breakthrough with a client where they understand how their insurance and risk management programs are just as important as their contracts and legal structure. I don’t think I put any one achievement over making a tangible impact on my clients’ businesses.

What are the three most important qualities for someone to thrive in the insurance industry?

A strong desire to learn
Interest in helping others
Willingness to admit you don’t know every answer, because no-one does.

I believe you passed the bar exam and received the CALI award a few years ago. How does your legal knowledge help you in your current position?

My legal background allows me to add greater depth to the risk management and insurance solutions we deliver. Instead of being limited to safety programs and insurance coverage we integrate a client’s risk management and insurance with their existing contracts and legal structure. I am able to act as a resource in interpreting insurance contracts for clients as well as a first call in case of a potential claim.

If you were not working in the insurance space, what would you be doing now?

I can’t imagine doing anything else in professional services. I have great respect for the manufacturing and construction clients I work with so I imagine I would run a manufacturing or construction firm.

How competition drives this insurance pro’s success

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