Inaugural Social Impact Report shines a light on law firm’s commitment to society

Anthony Collins Solicitors has published its first Social Impact Report, recording that in 2017/18 the Birmingham-based law firm attributed 91% of its work to directly improving lives, communities and society.

Released today (13 February), the Report highlights the scale and impact of the firm’s social purpose driven legal practice – www.anthonycollins.com/socialimpactreport.

In the same time period, Anthony Collins Solicitors established and registered 120 new charities, while also advising UK housing associations on how to access £1.2bn of funding. 12,240 homes were built because of the finance – providing 28,000 people with a place to live.

The work of Anthony Collins Solicitors has been national in its reach, with its health and social care team representing Care England in its intervention on sleep-in care shifts. Taking the case to the Court of Appeal, the firm helped to overturn a £400million back-pay bill allegedly owed to care workers deemed to be underpaid for overnight shifts.

By relinquishing providers from the responsibility of paying the substantial arrears, the law firm protected over two-thirds from entering bankruptcy. A motion that would have spelt disaster for the sector and jeopardised the care of 1.2million vulnerable people in the UK.

Peter Hubbard, Senior Partner at Anthony Collins Solicitors, said:

“From the firm’s founding in 1973, our team has committed to improving lives, communities and society. Yet, up to this point, we have never attempted to quantify the real-life impact of our work.  

“One of our key findings from this process was that culturally many of our staff do not realise the extent their contributions have on the wellbeing of others. By releasing our first Social Impact Report, we wanted to shine a light on the often-extraordinary results their work has both locally and nationally.”

Elsewhere in the report, Anthony Collins Solicitors covers the work of its private client team who advise individuals on a range of matters including, financial planning, employment and relationships. A highlight from this activity is the team’s role as deputy when managing £79m worth of assets for 129 people, avoiding the risk of financial abuse.

In 2018, the firm was responsible for creating legal history after establishing a new precedent at the High Court addressing parental responsibility in road accidents caused by a third party. This decision arrived after the team successfully defended a mother from a legal suit brought forward by an insurance company that had claimed her responsible for the life-changing injuries her son sustained when hit by a speeding driver. 

Peter added:

“Our quest for social improvement is ongoing. From our headquarters in Birmingham and newly launched office in Manchester, we plan to pursue further change.

“The Social Impact Report will provide us with a benchmark moving forward, as we measure our success and repeat this evaluation every year. With the talent and selfless attitude of our staff, I know anything is possible.”

Anthony Collins Solicitors’ Social Impact Report is available to read here.

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