Why I joined Anthony Collins Solicitors; a national law firm with a new home in Manchester

Article first published at The Business Desk North West (16 October 2018)

Natalie Barbosa is the first senior hire for Anthony Collins Solicitors’ new Manchester office and joins as Senior Associate, working across the firm’s charity and social care sectors.

Anthony Collins Solicitors is unlike any other law firm. National in its reach, but driven in the pursuit of social impact at local level. Working here feels like being part of a real movement – one that after opening our Manchester office is set to shift into a new gear.

My legal background stems from the charity sector, where I have worked over a number of years, supporting causes close to humanity’s biggest issues.

By moving from Head of legal at Barnado’s – the UK’s largest children’s charity – I have started a new chapter in my home city, Manchester, applying all I have learnt in my career across to Anthony Collins Solicitors, working with a number of the firm’s clients in the charities as well as health and social care sectors.

There are hundreds of law firms, both nationally and in the North-West, so what is it that makes Anthony Collins Solicitors different?

While a profit-making law firm, the business’s mantra remains aligned to the pursuit of justice and social progress. In the short period that I have been here, I have worked on and witnessed colleagues support cases with unbounding significance to the society we live in.

From overturning the potentially sector-crippling £400m sleep-in shift care case, to delivering a High Court legal precedent for the Ellis v Kelly and Ellis case – protecting UK parents from a wave of insurer negligence law suits – Anthony Collins Solicitors fights for what is right and is making waves across the legal sector for it.

The work achieved here unites all who walk through our doors. While I have worked at some wonderful organisations, the strength of this collective belief is something that I have never experienced in other workplaces.

It may be demanding at times, but the results achieved and progress made on the behalf of others cannot be replicated.

I have always considered myself a social-purpose-driven individual, but joining Anthony Collins Solicitors has provided me with the platform and freedom to assert my passion for change.

Already, the wider team have encouraged me to examine areas where I think the firm could offer support and I plan to use this empowerment addressing legal issues in areas I am passionate about, namely adoption and fostering, animal welfare and conservation.

The new office in Manchester represents a huge milestone in the firm’s evolution, but we must now push harder on the accelerator, continuing our positive momentum as we service existing partners and extend our reach of potential clients.

The firm’s work in the region has already had huge impact; we recently provided legal support on the development of the Greater Manchester Social Impact Bond – a £1.8 million fund to counter homelessness in the city.

By strengthening our team, we plan to continue this success and I am extremely excited to play a role in supporting the office’s growth.

Our mission to deliver social purpose is dependent on the efforts of all who work here and that is why following our new office launch, I urge lawyers that share the same burning desire for change to reach out and discover what working at Anthony Collins Solicitors could mean for them.

This is not a message to those only based in Manchester, but a national call to arms for those that want to make a true difference to the lives of others.

Find out more about Anthony Collins Solicitors’ Manchester office and current roles being recruited – www.anthonycollins.com/manchester.

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