After more than four decades of fielding just about every tactic the government or opposing counsel could conceivably throw at a client, I had developed great confidence—both in my own abilities and the legal system itself. When facing a potential corporate catastrophe, such as a DOJ or SEC investigation or a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit, it was critical to find the trusted right person to believe in you and understand every nuance of your case. Seen-it-before experience made all the difference. Sophisticated companies and their general counsel demanded it. I had plenty of proof that I had it.
In a legal career that spanned the country and more than 40 years, and with a primary focus on securities and Directors and Officers defense, Bruce Collins handled so much high-stakes and high-dollar commercial litigation that he simply did not get scared anymore. This was why clients hired him.
Bruce’s reputation preceded him. In a chapter about the Fairfax Financial case in a recent book, New York Times bestselling author Matt Taibbi offered a play-by-play of Bruce’s defense of his broker-dealer client, describing him as “a drawling, dark-haired hotshot corporate defense lawyer who made The Best Lawyers in America three years running,” and noting that he had seen Bruce in action before, as the lead attorney defending Ken Lay in the Enron criminal trial.
Bruce never lost sight of the fact that his job really was all about people. Disputes at this level created stress and difficulty for even the most sophisticated general counsel, and he did everything he could to alleviate that. Whether he was representing a CEO, a board member, or the company itself, Bruce’s goal was to understand a client’s risks and goals, remove the impediments in their way, and get clients back to what they did best—running and growing their enterprise.
Experience mattered. I had been in cases where the trial lasted for four months and I had seen just about every tactic the government could throw at you. When I took on something new, I did it knowing that I had been tested. And I passed.
Bruce W. Collins
