Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Patrick Collins is a partner in the firm's Litigation practice.  An experienced investigator and trial lawyer, Patrick focuses on conducting internal investigations, performing high-stakes civil and white collar litigation for individuals and entities, and providing strategic advice on compliance and regulatory matters.

Since joining the firm in April 2007, Patrick has been selected to represent companies and individuals in a number of sensitive and complex matters, including white collar and regulatory probes brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodities Futures Exchange Commission. Within weeks of joining the firm, Patrick successfully obtained the dismissal of a federal criminal complaint alleging a business fraud scheme, was selected as lead trial counsel on a groundbreaking, multimillion-dollar civil racketeering case pending in federal court and was chosen to conduct a sensitive internal investigation by a major company. 

Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Patrick was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 12 years in Chicago.  In that capacity, Patrick directed and conducted several, long-term, highly successful complex fraud and corruption investigations.  Most notably, Patrick directed a team of agents and prosecutors in Operation Safe Road, an eight-year investigation that led to over 75 convictions and culminated in the conviction of former Illinois Governor George Ryan and his chief of staff Scott Fawell.  Patrick also led a long-term investigation into corruption in city government, ghost payrolling in county government and ""point shaving"" involving college athletes.

Considered one of the highest-profile attorneys in Chicago, Patrick tried 20 federal criminal cases successfully to jury verdict for the United States, serving as first chair in 16 of them.  Among the cases Patrick tried were a six-month trial involving Ryan, an eight-week trial involving Fawell, and a number of complex corruption, fraud and money laundering cases.

In addition to his investigation and trial work, Patrick was promoted by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to serve as deputy chief of the corruption section and supervised up to 10 attorneys.  In an interview in the Chicago Sun-Times, Fitzgerald said about Collins, ""Patrick is as close as you come to irreplaceable... . He's very smart, very dedicated, very hardworking, and he just knows how to make a case.""

Areas of Practice

• Litigation
• Investigations & White Collar Defense

West Practice Categories

Litigation & Appeals, White Collar Crimes

Bar Admissions

• Illinois

Education

• University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, Illinois, 1991
  J.D
• University of Notre Dame,, 1986
  B.A.,

Address

131 South Dearborn Street
Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60603-5559

Phones

(312) 324-8558

Faxes

(312) 324-9558

Emails

pcollins@perkinscoie.com

Websites

http://www.perkinscoie.com