Law firm announces new hire and promotions as part of ongoing expansion strategy

Social purpose law firm, Anthony Collins, has announced a new hire and a raft of promotions across the business, as part of its ongoing expansion strategy.

Its strategy of sustained investment in people and their professional development, combined with strategic hires, is strengthening the firm’s position as a leading provider of legal services to the social care and housing sectors, local government, community-run organisations and charities nationally.

New hire, Sue Bearman, has been appointed as legal director of local government, planning and governance, where she will advise on all aspects of local authority law, including code of conduct advice, training, and standards investigations. With over 20 years’ experience in local government, at both district and county council level, her role will involve supporting public sector teams and contributing to the improvement of local communities.

Sue Bearman, local government lawyer, Anthony Collins, said: “Anthony Collins’ social purpose ethos is a natural fit for me. Having worked in-house in a variety of roles, I have a first-hand understanding of how best to support local authorities through the major changes currently taking place.”

Anthony Collins has also made eight promotions – three to legal director, four to senior associate and one to associate.

Liam Fitzgerald, Raj Flora-Seehra and Amy Callahan-Page have all been promoted to legal director. In the corporate litigation team, Liam Fitzgerald holds extensive knowledge in commercial and property-related litigation and has advised many clients on both legal and commercial matters.

Raj Flora-Seehra (pictured) is now a legal director in the local government team, specialising in property-related matters. She supports local authorities with the sale, redevelopment, and/or regeneration of existing stock and long-term strategic projects.

Amy Callahan-Page has been promoted to legal director in the projects department. An expert in dispute resolution and litigation, Amy supports organisations across multiple sectors to achieve strategic outcomes in a cost-effective manner.

Other key promotions include four team members who have moved up to the position of senior associate and one promotion to associate. They are Hannah Bollard in the employment and pensions team, Katie Duggins in the property team, Manchester-based Kirsty Duxbury in governance, funding and corporate, and Kadie Bennett in the family law team.

Further to her promotion, Kadie also celebrates her recent appointment as the new chair of the West Midlands Resolution Group. Kadie is one of the youngest solicitors to be appointed chair at the organisation, regionally or nationally.

In the private client team, Isabel Griffith has been promoted to associate, where she will continue to develop her specialism in childcare.

 Matthew Wort, senior partner, Anthony Collins, said: “We have had a very successful year and these promotions and our new hire will enable us to meet the needs of our clients and continue our expansion. People are our driving force at Anthony Collins, and we will continue to invest in their development so they can continue to deliver excellent services to our clients. It is only right that we celebrate and reward their achievements as often as we can.

“We’ve recently been renamed as one of Chambers UK’s top firms going into 2026, and it’s entirely down to the rich skills and sector knowledge of our people.”

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