Lex 100 - B P Collins

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B P Collins

Collins House 32-38 Station Road Gerrards Cross SL9 8EL

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'I wanted to be near London and have a good quality of clients and work'; 'work/life balance and friendliness'; 'an exceptional level of responsibility given at an early stage'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'There is more client contact and more interesting trainee work'; 'I receive much more support from my supervisor'; 'more client contact'; 'partners and solicitors keen to help trainees learn'

Best thing about the firm? 'Level of responsibility given'; 'everyone makes the effort to get to know you, including the partners'; 'limited number of trainees results in more attention and less competition'; 'the firm is the right size'

Worst thing about the firm? 'Lack of social scene'; 'relatively small firm so there's no guarantee there will be a job in the department you want when you qualify'

Best moment? 'Helping to successfully obtain a freezing order for a client'; 'being praised by the training principal for a piece of work I assisted on in my first week'; 'client writing a thank you email for the work I did for him to the head of department'

Worst moment? 'Photocopying'; 'spending hours trying to find various property deeds in a disorganised filing system!'; 'getting up at 6:30am to begin my commute!'; 'a long session of photocopying'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

B P Collins has over 40 years' experience working within the Buckinghamshire and Thames Valley Area. The firm has its main office in the wealthy Buckinghamshire town of Gerrards Cross, with a smaller office in the equally affluent Beaconsfield. Unsurprisingly, many of the firm's clients are high-net-worth individuals, for whom the firm acts on estate planning and trust administration, as well as offshore matters. B P Collins also has one of the strongest company and commercial departments in the South East outside London, and a top-ranked employment team. Clients comment that the firm delivers 'excellent response times and high-quality advice'.

The star performers

Charities; Commercial litigation; Commercial property; Corporate and commercial; Employment; Environment; Family; Personal tax, trusts and probate.

The deals

Advised NTR, the international renewable energy group, on the sale of UK-based Greenstar Group to the controlling shareholders of Biffa; handles a range of private client work, advising on matters such as the changing of trustees, and sales of land.

The clients

AMF Bowling Group; Toc H and South Bucks Hospice; represents clients across a number of sectors, including technology, healthcare and food.

The Verdict

If a good quality of life in a pleasant Home Counties setting sounds appealing, take a look at full-service firm B P Collins. Trainees here feel that a real interest is taken in their development, and that the staff are 'friendly and supportive', so it's little wonder then that the firm is a Lex 100 Winner for manageable stress levels. Another standout quality is the level of client contact received, which trainees say compares well with their peers in the City, as does the work itself which is 'more interesting' and gives trainees the chance to get 'more involved' with 'more complicated matters'. The firm's relatively modest size leads to some trainees becoming worried about the prospect of being kept on, hence the rather low score here. However, it has its benefits: the limited number of trainees results in 'more attention and less competition', and 'everyone makes the effort to get to know you, including the partners'. The salary is 'not great', nor is the social life in Gerrards Cross, 'although the new social committee is working to create a better social scene'. It is, however, a very inclusive environment with trainees quickly being 'made to feel like a part of the team' and 'individual contributions are valued'. 'Helping to successfully obtain a freezing order for a client' and 'attending court' were professional highlights for current trainees, so if you are looking for a firm which will provide hands-on training without soaring stress levels, consider BP Collins.