Year: 2023
Proud to be a B Corp
Being a purpose-driven law firm is in our DNA and achieving B Corp accreditation in 2022 was a natural step in our journey as a social purpose law firm.
Becoming a B Corp has not only helped us to demonstrate how we make a difference to our clients and workforce by meeting stringent thresholds, but it also holds us accountable and gives us a framework so we can continue to move in the right direction – we’re now on a journey to improve our score in the five assessed areas. B Corp is our toolkit to help us make an even bigger and better impact on individuals, communities and society (and the planet) and influence our future as a business that’s a force for good.
We know we cannot rest on our laurels and that’s why we have set ourselves some tough targets, such as being net-carbon zero by 2030.
Over the last year, we have invested heavily in our office space driven by our sustainability goals and feedback from our Great Place to Work survey. The aim of the project is to create an improved, modern workspace for our people and reduce our carbon footprint, going from a class E to A.
We’ve become carbon net positive with our printing and since June 2023, we have used 6.8 trees for printing, and in return have planted 288 trees through PaperCut Software and One Tree Planted. We’ve also started a review of our supply chain so that we can increase our use of local suppliers.
During the past 12 months, we’ve been working on groundbreaking environmental projects for our clients – we’ve continued our work with Newcastle City Council on their innovative district heating scheme which is decarbonising the public estate. A project which will remove 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
As part of our social purpose volunteering programme, we’ve supported local communities by donating over 780 items to food banks around Birmingham and spent 519 hours (72 days) volunteering in the past year.
“Being part of the B Corp community grounds these values and it also stretches us because we’re working alongside like-minded businesses. We’re all trying to achieve a more sustainable society and for me, that’s really exciting – it gives us things to aim for. It’s about our business being a force for good and being part of a community where we are stretched and challenged to grow our impact further.” – Matt Wort, senior partner
Managing risks while protecting biodiversity
We’re creating a legal framework for Kent Wildlife Trust as they implement their ash dieback policy.
Ash dieback, a fungal disease from East Asia, is causing huge problems across Britain. But, while a single focus on health and safety might suggest that all diseased trees should be cut down, there is a real benefit in leaving as many of the trees as possible in situ from an ecological point of view.
Adopting this policy, however, brought its own set of challenges so Kent Wildlife Trust approached us at Anthony Collins (AC) to help them define and mitigate the risks.
Taking a natural approach
A dying tree provides a home for all sorts of bugs, mushrooms and moss which was why Kent Wildlife Trust was keen to protect biodiversity and conserve various plant species in the area. They knew removing too many trees would be detrimental to the wider ecosystem.
But Kent Wildlife Trust had to show they had also considered the implications of leaving diseased trees in place.
We produced a report reviewing the main concerns and issues from multiple perspectives including potential liabilities for personal injury relating to known diseased and dying trees, legal risks over access rights on neighbouring landowners’ land and risks relating to public highways.
Going deeper
We also started drilling down into charity law and regulations. Kent Wildlife Trust must show its decisions are made in keeping with its charitable purpose and for the benefit of the public – by allowing people to still enjoy nature.
We outlined their health and safety obligations to employees and volunteers but also any visitors to the area. In addition, we considered aspects of property law and planning.
Sharing best practice
Kent Wildlife Trust is part of a network of other independently governed wildlife trusts all trying to cope with ash dieback across the country and we agreed our work could be shared amongst these other Wildlife Trusts to provide a collective defensible framework for dealing with the multiple levels of highly context-specific risks in question.
Each situation will be different according to the different types of land but the work we’ve done will help other trusts weigh the legal risks they need to consider against a standardised decision-making framework.
Our wide range of expertise enabled us to provide specialists in many different areas of law. We didn’t just approach the issue from a single point of view. Our projects team led the case, while other AC experts also provided advice on the local authority, commercial, health and safety, property, planning and charity governance aspects.
Looking to the future
Although ash dieback is not a problem that can be solved, Kent Wildlife Trust can now continue to make a positive environmental impact by leaving the trees in place, where feasible. Even in the face of something inherently harmful, they can continue to be committed to their nature conservation mission.
And by addressing all the risks in the policy, we’ve given Kent Wildlife Trust the confidence to make informed decisions on a site-by-site basis, with the legal backup to face any challenges if needed.
“Our role was to help Kent Wildlife Trust protect the biodiversity of the area as much as possible in the face of a devastating disease and to make sure their decisions are made in a way which considers the public and the charity, as well as the natural environment and wildlife.” Natalie Barbosa, senior associate, Anthony Collins
Giving up our time to make a difference
From volunteering to events for our chosen charities, the AC team have so many opportunities to get involved.
Social purpose is at the heart of everything we do at Anthony Collins (AC). Outside their work roles, we also want to help our teams pursue opportunities they are passionate about. This might be attending meetings as a school governor or even acting as umpire chair at the Commonwealth Games.
We also have a steering group that coordinates a programme of volunteering and fundraising events. Working together, they’re giving more structure to the volunteering and pro bono work we do with charities and making sure more plans turn into action, enthusing and encouraging those across the firm to take part. This started by picking two new charities to support regularly.
Our charity partnerships
We have long-standing partnerships with a handful of charities including the Child Brain Injury Trust (CBIT), The Cauda Equina Champions Charity and The UK Sepsis Trust. Now we’re supporting two more charities – St Basils and Birmingham Mind.
We felt these organisations reflected our commitment to caring for society, as well as being in line with our areas of expertise such as housing and protecting vulnerable people in our society and the firm’s principles.
We’ve already started raising funds for these brilliant charities. Many of our team trained for and ran the Birmingham Half Marathon to support Birmingham Mind. Together they raised £1,567.72 for the charity.
Helping St Basils tackle homelessness
We believe in looking at the bigger picture to solve today’s challenges – and so do St Basils. As a charity and housing association, their services focus on supporting individuals aged between 16 – 25 at risk of homelessness by providing accommodation and developing their skills. However, they also aim to influence national policy and create systemic change.
Having previously regularly taken part in The Big Sleepout for St Basils, in 2022 we sponsored and hosted a table at their 50th-anniversary gala dinner. This was a true opportunity, post-pandemic, for longer-term supporters of St Basils to celebrate the thousands of young people supported by the charity. Two AC teams also took part in Hike for the Homeless while others acted as marshals at Woof Run, a fun obstacle course for dogs and their owners.
One of the highlights for the AC team was helping with the St Basils’ Christmas market stall in the Cathedral Christmas Market. A group of 21 employees took turns staffing the stall which was raising money by selling Christmas cards and hosting a ‘buzz-wire’ game to win a cuddly bear.
Carol’s Commonwealth Games experience
Our organised firmwide programme of events gives anyone the chance to get involved. We have up to 250 days available each year, three days per person, for staff and partners to volunteer in an organisation that brings benefits to the community and that align with the values of the firm.
Many of the team find their own opportunities like Carol Wilson. When she heard the Commonwealth Games was coming to Birmingham, she knew straightaway she wanted to get involved as it might not be held here again.
Carol also felt it was important to make sure there was representation from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds. She also wanted to ensure they had enough volunteers to make it a success.
Carol volunteered for 6 days and was given the role of umpire chair. The umpire chair was at the entrance of Smithfield situated by the beach volleyball, 3″x”3 basketball and a festival site. Most of the announcements she made were about the competitions for the day and safety information.
“Our social purpose volunteering scheme gives people the freedom to focus on the areas they are passionate about. If there’s something they want to do or a charity they want to support as it close to them, then we want to support that and give them the time to do it outside their role.”
Emma Hardman, partner, Anthony Collins
How employee ownership transforms businesses
When the main shareholder decided to step back, we helped Fitzgerald Contractors become employee-owned.
Fitzgerald Contractors is a civil engineering firm that employs 120 people and will soon celebrate its 75th anniversary. The business specialises in completing infrastructure across the UK, with an annual turnover of £30 million.
As the majority shareholder in the business, Nick Coley began to think about stepping back from leading and owning Fitzgerald Contractors. Traditionally, this would mean looking for a buyer – either a competitor, an investor or sometimes the current management. But Fitzgerald Contractors wanted a way to secure the future of the business and support the people who make the firm what it is.
How it works
We believe how an organisation is owned reflects its values and can transform how they do business and who benefits. While there are different models for a business owned by its workers, using an employee ownership trust (EOT) made a lot of sense for a sizeable business like Fitzgerald Contractors.
Setting up an EOT means transferring at least 51% of the company’s shares into a trust. The shares are legally owned by a trustee (or trustees) who hold those shares on behalf of all the employees, all of whom can get a profit share of up to £3600 each year which is tax-free. There are tax advantages for the selling owners too, with no capital gains tax payable on the sale price for the shares.
Expert support throughout
There are some things to think carefully about, like the valuation of the business and how the views of employees will be heard in the new structure. But the team at Anthony Collins (AC) know if you get those things right, all the research shows that it can be a real step forward for the business.
For Fitzgerald Contractors, our team advised on the detail of the transaction structure, created the trust and the trustee company, as well as drafting the necessary legal agreements. After being instructed at the start of January, we completed the process by mid-February which meant Fitzgerald could swiftly move on to their next chapter.
The company has placed the future of the business in the hands of its staff who all now share in its success. It’s already clear that it’s been transformative for them and there has been a massive shift in the culture, with employees being more mindful of how materials are used and where costs can be cut.
“When we were ready to go down this road, David and the team from AC made the process absolutely clear, explained the legal documents we needed, and worked really hard to make it happen within our timescale.”
Nick Coley, Fitzgerald Contractors
Showing children the possibilities in law firms
We’ve partnered with Hamstead Hall Academy Trust to break down barriers to entering the legal profession.
Making our team – and the entire legal sector – diverse is a priority for us. We believe this starts in schools and showing young people that they have a place in brilliant law firms such as ours. We also want to explain that we base recruitment on skills and merit rather than background to further diversify our profession.
We’re partnering with Hamstead Hall Academy Trust in Birmingham to run events for their students. The academy caters for approximately 1100 students and reflects the religious and cultural diversity of the city. It has been at the forefront of inclusion and is one of six schools in the city with a special needs resource base. It also has its own clear core purpose which lends itself to ours – it seeks to remove barriers for its students and teach them that nothing can hold them back, whether that’s ethnicity, cultural background, financial situation or social circumstances.
Guess the job
For the first event, 180 students from years 10 and 11 gathered in the hall. To encourage discussion and give all students the chance to get involved, we divided the group into 4 circles. Most of the young people thought that it was just solicitors that work at a law firm. However, we brought a group from across the AC team who work in a range of roles, including Narinder Singh (associate solicitor), Vik Mistry (IT support manager) and Phil Saunders (head of HR and office services).
We ran different activities to challenge the students’ preconceptions, including guessing who did what job by asking open questions to the AC team member. We then ran a session on writing a CV and a personal statement which offered them valuable advice on presenting themselves to employers. At an age where they are starting to think about their future, the day was a great opportunity to discuss their options and future aspirations.
Exciting plans ahead
This is just the beginning of our partnership with Hamstead Hall Academy Trust. We’ve already got big plans moving forward, with events that will take place throughout the year ahead. We also want to work with younger students to make sure they feel empowered to take control of their future and see opportunities instead of limitations.
For the older students, the team are hoping to arrange an open-day event where a group will visit our offices. It will also involve some great activities to help them experience a law firm, as well as speakers from various departments and the local judiciary with ties to our firm.
Changing perceptions
We’re proud to be working with Hamstead Hall Academy Trust. Having people from different backgrounds as part of our team is essential to the work we do. For example, many children in our communities are from war-torn countries and English isn’t their first language, so having people that represent them is key.
Narinder Singh who is an associate at Anthony Collins (AC) leads a subgroup of the ED&I committee and helps run events. He says, “I actually studied at Hamstead Hall – the students couldn’t believe that someone from their school could do a job like mine. If someone had talked to me at their age, I think I would have had fewer fears about entering a profession which seemed very unachievable and elitist.”
“Seeing diversity in our profession is personally important to me. It hasn’t always been this way and, although we’re getting closer, there is a lot more we can do. I believe it is my duty to make sure the profession reflects the communities we serve.”
Narinder Singh, associate, Anthony Collins
Creating a safe space for important conversations
Guiding equality, diversity and inclusivity progression that fits the world we live in.
It is important to us that we are a law firm in tune with the people and communities we serve. To achieve this involves addressing bias and creating widespread opportunities for all. In the past year, our mix of long-term, short-term and grassroots commitments has seen many benefits for our employees, including those returning to work after leave and candidates applying for jobs at the firm.
Women in law
With a 75%-strong female workforce, women’s initiatives have featured a lot in the past year at Anthony Collins (AC). By signing the Women in Law pledge, we have shown our commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive legal profession. Our gender pay gap shows there is still work to do to reach female senior workforce targets, but we’re just 2% away from our target for female partner levels.
Creating a safe space to discuss menopause has been well-received across AC teams. Feedback already shows boosted awareness and wide support, and our new policy incorporates plenty of practical ideas. All this, and knowing they have the firm’s full support, have made staff more confident to raise the topic when it affects family members and co-workers.
Managing attitudes and bias
To recognise gender neutrality, we’ve taken a serious look at our tone and how we communicate both internally and externally. Staff have been guided to use a more gender-neutral voice that now extends to the formal documents we produce for our clients. Conscious changes include no longer beginning any AC correspondence with ‘Dear Sirs’ and looking at the topic of preferred pronouns.
Showing staff how to manage unconscious bias has been key for redefining recruitment objectives. Names and other personal specifics no longer feature on shortlisted CVs and advanced recruitment tools are improving socio-economic fairness among our applicants. We’ve also focused on creating clear progression routes into senior roles.
New toolkit for teams
Expanding our existing flexible and hybrid work arrangements has been a success. These are especially beneficial for people with care commitments to nurture a good work-life balance that promotes well-being. We’ve also created new toolkits for staff returning to work from parental, paternity, maternity and adoption leave, acknowledging that both teams and their management need clear guidance. This is an ethos taken further with all staff receiving respect and dignity training.
“To reflect the people we serve, our own house must be in order. That means having those challenging conversations and being open to new ideas. We want to retain the best people, making adjustments that allow them to feel confident in their roles. We’re far from complacent, working continually to improve areas where the legal sector falls behind.”
Phil Saunders, head of HR and office services, Anthony Collins
Can fans help protect the future of football?
We’re working in partnership with the FSA to promote sustainable community ownership of local clubs.
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) is the national representative body for football supporters in England and Wales. They act as advocates for better fan engagement, cheaper ticket prices, fan rights, diversity and more.
A key focus for the FSA is promoting supporter ownership as a way of creating a sustainable future for clubs. This is something that Anthony Collins (AC) fully backs and our team has been providing the FSA with consistent support on a range of initiatives over the last year.
Glaring issues around governance
A recent government fan-led review of football governance by Tracey Crouch MP revealed that the way football clubs are run is unsustainable, with many getting into unsustainable levels of debt. It found clubs are poorly run with ‘reckless decision making chasing an illusion of success and a disconnect between the interests of fans and owners’.
To secure the game’s future, it’s clear to see that things need to change. Community ownership has the potential to provide a broad sustainable base for preserving clubs as community assets.
Ongoing support
The FSA regularly turn to the AC team for advice. Typically, we support with governance arrangements, advise on how football grounds are owned and get involved with potential mergers.
In the last year, we have helped with a shareholder agreement where a club was looking to transfer ownership from private owners to a new supporters’ trust. Our team has also advised a market town who are looking to take ownership of the football ground to protect the future of the club.
Improving supporter engagement
AC is proud to be supporting the FSA in its mission to promote community ownership and help make it possible. Ultimately, it will mean football is run more sustainably, protect clubs’ heritage and improve supporter engagement.
Looking to the future, we are looking forward to providing the FSA with the support they need and acting as a consistent source of expert legal advice.
“AC has offered support to a number of FSA affiliates and been instrumental in helping provide solutions to some difficult and sometimes complex questions. Community ownership in football is not easy and presents many challenges. Our clubs and supporter societies are trying to balance running successful operations whilst delivering benefits to the wider community.
AC has not only assisted in providing legal advice, but the team’s commitment to community ownership models also offers an assurance that the advice is provided from a position of solidarity. Working across a number of sectors, AC provides a breadth of experience in governance issues and practical insights which allow our members to be confident that the support received is sound and relevant.”
Andy Walsh, head of national game and community ownership, the FSA
Helping launch a new law firm for a better world
When Good Law Project asked for our support, we knew their ambitions were perfectly aligned with our values.
Good Law Project is a not-for-profit campaign organisation that uses the law to help create a better world. They focus on demanding good governance from those in power, protecting the environment and empowering those experiencing injustice or inequality. From covid testing scandals to water companies dumping waste along our coastlines, they’re tackling a range of issues head-on.
Although Good Law Project already had some internal legal support, they still used external lawyers extensively which came at a significant cost. The Project team came to Anthony Collins (AC) with their solution – creating their own law firm. Conversations started around how to make this possible and what it would mean for Good Law Project.
Launching an independent firm
What Good Law Project wanted to do is quite unusual. Most law firms are owned by solicitors, so the team needed to get the go-ahead from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
We provided support throughout the entire process, from discussing the shareholder agreement to advising on the governance documents. We also had conversations about how the law firm would work around the existing organisation and how the different structures should relate to each other.
Helping more communities
With support from ACS, Good Law Project now has its own law firm, Good Law Practice. The firm will help tackle any issues that are important to the Project and its partners. It will build specialist advisory capacity to help communities create the ownership models that work for them.
The firm will be funded by Good Law Project, with its services offered to Good Law Project, and its partners, on terms they can afford. And it will show people that the law exists to serve the whole of society rather than only those who can pay.
“We’re so pleased to have been involved in helping set up Good Law Practice as it aligns with our values of improving lives, communities and societies. Having their own law firm means they’ll be able to better hold those in power to account.”
David Alcock, partner, Anthony Collins
How to turn money into planet-protecting measures
When the Nene Rivers Trust secured vital funding, they turned to us for support in allocating money.
Securing funding might seem like the biggest challenge for environmental organisations. However, this is often only the first hurdle. Allocating this funding fairly can be just as complex and ensuring there is transparency around how the money is being used is crucial.
Nene Rivers Trust is based in Northamptonshire and aims to promote, conserve and improve the environment. A big part of achieving this mission is securing investment in the local area. Some of their latest funding has been awarded through the Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs), backed by King Charles, which helps landowners and farmers implement solutions.
About LENs
LENs accept submissions from anyone with an interest in a piece of land. This isn’t always the landowner, but can be those who own adjoining land, local councils, water companies or people living downstream from an affected area.
LENs analyse whether there are any other parties who have a common interest in the same piece of land. LENs then bring together those businesses and award funding to make improvements to the landscape of that area.
The improvements are made by way of measures and interventions. In Cumbria, for example, the measures are being undertaken by a group made up of Nestle, Eden Rivers Trust, Eden District Council, First Milk, the Environment Agency and the National Trust. They are addressing flooding, biodiversity, soil health and water quality.
Allocating funds
We supported Nene Rivers Trust by advising on the impact of the grant arrangements, as well as advising on how the funds from LENs, Anglian Water and Northamptonshire County Council should be allocated. The farmers could use this money for measures designed to improve the environment such as planting more trees.
Nene Rivers Trust agreed with the farmers on what the measures are and these were captured in the documents. It was then the Trust’s responsibility to check the improvements were underway and report back to the funders on the progress to ensure the successful delivery of the project and manage the risk of any funding clawback.
An AC area of expertise
We work with other river and canal trusts who need support getting the most out of funding, so we were well placed to provide support and help Nene Rivers Trust make the most impact possible. The AC team are also committed to applying expertise to solve challenges surrounding the climate crisis.
“I’m an environmentalist myself so projects like this align with my personal values, as well as those of Anthony Collins. The issues surrounding biodiversity are something we are very aware of as a team. Our knowledge can really help our clients achieve their goals around improving the environment.”
Natalie Barbosa, senior associate, Anthony Collins