Joel W. Collins, Jr.

Joel W. Collins, Jr. is a founding partner of Collins & Lacy.  Upon graduation from the University of  South Carolina School of Law, Joel served four years in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC) of the United States Army and served one year in the Viet Nam Americal Division where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.  Joel also served as an assistant professor of law at the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.   He then spent two years with the Frankfurt, Germany law firm of O’Haire and Fiore, after which he was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, focusing on the investigation and prosecution of white-collar criminal cases. 

In 1982, after three years with the firm of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, Joel established his own practice, which later became Collins & Lacy.  He has held numerous leadership positions in civic organizations including Rotary, National Safety Council, and the ABOTA Foundation and enjoys a variety of volunteer activities in the community.  Joel’s reputation in the courtroom and professional standing have led his peers to consider him one of South Carolina’s preeminent attorneys, according to Martindale-Hubbell.

Practice Focus/Trial Experience

• Complex Civil Litigation
• White-Collar Criminal Defense

Professional, Civic, and Community Involvement

• University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association
  • Platinum Compleat  Lawyer Award (2005)
• Clemson University Alumni Association
  • Distinguished Service Award (2001)
• Clemson University President’s Advisory Board
• Clemson University Humanities Advancement Board
• Clemson University William T. Howell Pre-Law Society
  • Founder and Alumni Advisor
• Lake Murray – Irmo Rotary Club
  • Rotarian of the Year (2002)
  • President (1996-1997)
• South  Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association
• National Association of Criminal Defense lawyers
• Defense Research Institute
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Chapter President (1996)
• American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation
  • President
  • Secretary of the Board of Trustees (2007) 
• South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Jeter E. Rhodes, Jr., Trial Lawyer of the Year Award (2002)
• South Carolina Chapter of the National Safety Council
  • Board of Directors (1995 – Present)
  • President (2006)
• Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Member
• John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, Member
• Friends of Juvenile Justice Foundation – Champion for the Children
• International Society of Primerus Law Firms
• Salem United Methodist Church
• South Carolina Bar

Papers, Presentations, and Publications 

• Maymester Course Instructor on the history, philosophy, and interpretations of the United States Constitution, including recreation of the debates during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Clemson University, May, 2007
• The Vacancy Crisis in our Federal Courts, Voir Dire, Volume 4, Issue 4, 1997
• Junior Officer’s Guide to the Legal Aspects of Command  West Point Press, 1972