Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP

Senior partner: Peter Hubbard

Number of partners: 44

Fee-earners (qualified): 96

Fee-earners (non-qualified): 56

The firm:

Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) is a national sector specialist law firm with a clear purpose to improve lives, communities and society. The firm has 300+ staff, physical premises in Birmingham, Manchester and Macclesfield and is a national leading advisor to the social housing, social care and charities sectors (amongst others), supporting clients with work in business and charity law, governance, property, housing management, employment, and dispute resolution, as well as individuals requiring personal planning, those affected by critical events and the organisations that support them. ACS’ expertise is centred on a deep understanding of its client's needs, as well as on developing and maintaining strong relationships. The firm has grown steadily over the past five years, merging with Macclesfield private client law firm Jobling Gowler in July 2022, and now has 44 partners.

The firm was named Law Firm of the Year: The Independents at the 2021 Lawyer Awards. The award submission highlighted the firm-wide Covid-19 response, advising those who provided frontline services to the vulnerable and disadvantaged in communities across the country. Judges recognised the importance of the firm’s social purpose and the impact of its work in improving the fabric of society through its clients. ACS was also named Family Law Firm of the Year: Midlands and Wales at the prestigious Family Law Firm Awards, 2021, recognising that the ACS family team acted in nearly half (approximately 48%) of all care orders issued in Birmingham – where authorities assume legal responsibility for a child.

The firm has continued to grow its charities work, which is reflected in its ranking as one of the top five national legal advisers in the Top 3000 Charities 2021 directory.

As it continues to be recognised and extends the range of clients with whom it can make a transformational impact, the firm is committed to staying true to its core purpose, to improve lives, communities and society, with a goal of becoming the leading national advisor partnering with individuals, organisations and policymakers to build a stronger more connected society.

An example of this was the firm publishing its fifth Social Impact Report, recording that in 2022, 94% of its work directly improved lives, communities and society.

Social mobility is an issue that is at the core of the firm’s values and mission, and in 2021, the firm launched a free Social Mobility Toolkit. The toolkit covers a variety of topics containing practical resources for employers who want to implement constructive processes to open up their workforce and create a positive working environment.

The firm also recently launched the Green Economy section of its website in line with the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, documenting the firm’s efforts to make sure its people and clients are thinking and behaving as sustainably as possible.

Types of work undertaken

Social housing:

as one of the top UK firms in the field of social housing, ACS is passionate about contributing to national regeneration, working with registered providers across the country to engage with their local communities and deliver a range of diverse services. ACS provides innovative and practical advice, ranging from major projects (stock transfers, innovative structures, joint ventures) to general day-to-day matters (housing litigation, housing management, employment matters and conveyancing).

Local government:

a reputation for technical excellence and innovation, especially in the areas of joint ventures, regeneration and property development work, strategic corporate projects, procurement and litigation and dispute resolution enables, ACS to assist councils in delivering more for less, while maintaining their in-house capacity, by providing alternative solutions for greater income generation and the delivery of services.

Health and social care:

ACS act as an expert for many leading adult health and social care service providers and individuals, who serve vulnerable people due to age, mental or physical incapacity, mental health problems or the consequences of addiction, ranging from governance advice to employment and regulatory issues.

Social business:

an understanding of the balance between a strong commercial focus and values-driven ethos makes ACS a market leader in social business, helping not-just-for-profit, values-driven organisations such as social enterprises, community enterprises, co-operatives, mutuals and values-driven businesses achieve their goals and enjoy long-term sustainable futures.

Charities:

with an understanding of and empathy with the voluntary sector, which underpins the firm’s ethos, ACS provides legal support to equip and enable charitable organisations, including faith-based organisations, to be effective in their area of activity. The firm has growing expertise in ecclesiastical law and is appointed as diocesan registrar for several dioceses in England.

Education:

specialists in academy conversions, with a fast-growing reputation for providing practical, insightful support to sponsors, schools, academies, trusts and Church of England dioceses across the country, ACS helps schools to flourish and allow those who are most disadvantaged in society to access high-quality educational resources.

Private legal services:

ACS supports individuals in two areas: supporting them and their families at pivotal times in their life, from birth through to death, helping them preserve and protect their assets, and helping people who are facing complex and critical events, such as personal injury, clinical negligence, childcare issues, loss of capacity and loss of employment.