Anthony Collins Solicitors

Overview

Anthony Collins Solicitors is a nationally recognised social-purpose law firm founded in 1973 with a strong reputation for advising charities, social housing providers, local authorities and organisations in health and social care. The firm combines sector-focused technical expertise (notably in social housing, clinical negligence/personal injury, charities and local government) with an explicit social impact mission — it is B Corp accredited and measures success by social outcomes as well as legal results. Headquartered in Birmingham with additional offices across the English regions, the firm positions itself as a high‑quality specialist adviser for clients delivering public and community benefit.

• Headquarters: Birmingham, Billiards Building 134 Edmund Street
• Founded: 1973
• Lawyers: 183 (as of February 2025)
• Partners: 43
• Trainees: 16
• Offices: 5

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Charities & Not-for-Profit
• Education
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Housing & Social Housing
• Public Law
• Corporate & M&A
• Employment
• Pensions
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Real Estate
• Construction & Engineering
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Commercial Contracts
• Regulatory & Compliance

Geographic Focus: A UK‑focused national firm with its strongest presence in the Midlands and North West (Birmingham, Manchester, Macclesfield) and a London meeting space. The firm operates nationally for clients across the UK, particularly advising local authorities, national charities, registered providers and social enterprises.

Training Contract

Trainees enter via a one-week vacation scheme (the assessment route) before being offered a two-year training contract. Trainees spend seats across departments (typically two seats during the vacation scheme and multiple seats across the two-year contract), are allocated a trainee manager for each seat and an overall trainee appraiser who supports career development and seat choices. The firm operates a Trainee Development Programme providing tailored training across the two years.

• Trainee Intake: 16 (current trainee headcount)
• Academic Requirements: Minimum ABB from three A‑Levels (excluding General Studies) or 320 UCAS points, and a minimum 2:1 degree classification. The firm partners with Rare Recruitment to support contextual review for social mobility.
• Application Deadline: 2026-02-13

Seat Options

• Property
• Third Sector / Charities
• Governance, Funding & Corporate
• Childcare (public and private law)
• Contentious Construction
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Social Housing
• Employment
• Family / Matrimonial
• Education

Mentorship

Each trainee receives a seat-specific trainee manager and an overall trainee appraiser. Vacation scheme candidates receive a trainee buddy and a supervising fee-earner assessor; ongoing mentoring and appraisal support are emphasised throughout the training contract.

Apply on the Anthony Collins Solicitors website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Anthony Collins Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Alignment with the firm's social-purpose values
• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Excellent communication skills
• Intellectual curiosity and independent thinking
• Resilience and positivity
• Drive, determination and accountability
• Practicality and adaptability

Evidence Signals

• Relevant sector or charity experience (volunteering, internships or work with charities/registered providers)
• Demonstrable commercial awareness and interest in public‑sector issues
• Evidence of teamwork, leadership or project work (including involvement in social enterprises or community projects)
• Participation in vacation schemes / open days and strong performance in virtual interviews
• Contextual evidence for social mobility (Rare Recruitment framework) and a match to the firm’s values

Benefits & Wellbeing

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (option to buy/sell up to 5 days)
• Pension scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Life assurance
• 2 gift days at Christmas
• Dental insurance
• Volunteering days / social purpose volunteering
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) available for employees and household family members
• Wellness plans and access to trained mental health first aiders
• Wellbeing Wednesdays (drop-in sessions)
• Accredited Living Wage employer (pay the real living wage to all directly employed staff)

Wellbeing

Wellness plans (created with mental health first aiders), Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for staff and household members, anti-harassment/bullying policy, weekly drop-in wellbeing sessions and a focus on breaking down stigma around mental health.

Awards & Recognition

• B Corp accreditation (announced in the firm's 50th anniversary coverage) - B Corp status cited in social impact reporting
• Chambers UK Band 1 rankings (multiple departments; Band 1 references in 2023 and 2026 coverage)
• The Legal 500 Top Tier Firm (Top-tier rankings across multiple practice areas; 2025/2026 editions referenced)
• The Legal 500 Hall of Fame (Rankeshwar Batta listed; 2025/2026)
• Chambers UK High Net Worth Guide (2025)
• Birmingham Law Society Awards — Paralegal of the Year (2022 winner Rebecca Chauhan)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Firm-wide EDI strategy with a published Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap report (2025). The firm is a Living Wage employer and subscribes to blind recruitment and social mobility initiatives; it states a mission to build an authentically diverse and inclusive workplace and publishes progress in annual/periodic reports.

• Advocating for gender equality
• Boosting social mobility
• Celebrating diversity
• Championing our LGBT+ community
• Nurturing mental wellbeing
• Occasions, events and organisations we celebrate
• Partnership with Rare Recruitment for contextual application review
• Membership / partnerships with Living Wage Foundation and Birmingham Black Lawyers

Pro Bono

Pro bono and social-impact work are embedded in the firm's activity: colleagues have opportunities to contribute via pro bono work, social purpose volunteering days and community partnerships; the firm has been recognised in regional awards for pro bono contributions.

Innovation

Innovation focus is centred on ethical data governance, practical legal-tech adoption in data/privacy work and embedding sustainability and social‑impact through Strategy 2030 and B Corp reporting. Specific internally branded legal‑tech platforms or automation tools are not named on the available pages; trainees and lawyers are expected to engage with data governance, privacy and AI-related legal work as the practice grows.

• Development of STAIRs operational guidance and STAIRs training led by head of data governance (Ben Pumphrey)
• B Corp / Strategy 2030 — using B Corp framework to drive transparency and impact reporting
• Growth of data governance, AI and cyber security advisory capability (appointment of head of data governance)

Quick Application Angles

• Lead with the firm’s social purpose: reference B Corp accreditation, Strategy 2030 or social impact projects (e.g., Help to Own) to show alignment with their mission.
• Demonstrate sector fit: mention relevant experience or interest in charities, social housing, local government or health & social care — these are core sectors where the firm seeks expertise.
• Highlight hands-on experience and client responsibility: give concrete examples of client-facing tasks, project ownership or measurable outcomes (the firm emphasises trainees taking ownership and meaningful work).
• Use the firm’s recruitment signals: meet the published academic criteria (minimum ABB / 320 UCAS points and a 2:1 degree) and, if applicable, reference contextual factors via Rare Recruitment for social mobility.
• If applying to seats involving data or governance work, reference technical interest or experience in data protection, cyber risk or AI governance (the firm has recently expanded its data governance capability).