Patrick M. Collins is an American lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

. Collins is a partner in Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie is an international law firm based in Seattle, Washington. It has been listed on the Fortune Magazine "100 Best Places to Work in America" for the past nine years. It is noted for its intellectual property, Labor and Employment, and Products Liability practice groups, and for its...

's LLP's litigation practice. Previously, he worked for the United States Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. Attorney. In 2005, he led the U.S. government's team in the trial and conviction of former Illinois Governor George Ryan

George Ryan

George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...

 on charges of racketeering and fraud. In 2009, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn (politician)

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...

 appointed Collins to chair the Illinois Reform Commission, which was tasked with making recommendations for ethical reform for Illinois government. Several of the IRC's recommendations became the basis for new state legislation, including an overhauled Freedom of Information Act and the state's first measures to limit campaign finance in history. In January 2010, Collins authored a book entitled Challenging the Culture of Corruption: Game Changing Reform for Illinois.(ISBN 978-0879464240). In 2010, Collins was selected by the Chicago Law Bulletin as one of Chicago's "Top Ten" attorneys of the decade. Prior to his 12 years with the Department of Justice, Collins worked as an associate in private practice.

United States Department of Justice

From 1995 - 2007, Collins worked as a federal prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice in the Chicago office of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald

Patrick Fitzgerald

Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...

. Collins was the lead prosecutor in the trial and conviction of former Illinois Governor George Ryan

George Ryan

George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...

. The Ryan trial was the culmination of Operation Safe Road, a eight-year investigation which led to more than 75 convictions, including the former Governor and members of his inner circle. During his tenure with the U.S. Department of Justice, Collins also led a long-term investigation into corruption in City government and ghost payrolling in county government.

Collins was awarded the U.S. Attorney General's Award for Superior Performance by Litigative Team; Chicago Crime Commission

Chicago Crime Commission

The Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools of their trade: drugs, guns, public corruption,...

's Stars of Distinction Award; Director's Award for Superior Performance as an AUSA, and Chief Postal Inspector's Award for his work on Operation Safe Road.

After Department of Justice

In 2007, Collins was selected as lead trial counsel for the Indiana Attorney General

Indiana Attorney General

The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term...

's Office in a civil RICO

RICO

-Music:*Rico , a 2000 album by Matt Bianco*"Rico" , a 1998 song the Matthew Good Band from the album Underdogs*Rico International, a manufacturer of reeds, mouthpieces, and woodwind accessories...

 case, and, in 2008, as outside counsel for Wayne County Airport Authority

Wayne County Airport Authority

Wayne County Airport Authority is a governmental entity that operates airports in Metro Detroit in Michigan. The agency has its headquarters in the L.C. Smith Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus...

's investigation of its multimillion dollar Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

A Disadvantaged business enterprise is a business entity so certified in the United States by the government of the State in which it is located...

 program (DBE), which led to a U.S. Department of Justice civil settlement with airport contractors for fraudulent DBE activities. In September 2009, Collins was appointed by the United States Trustee and confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court as the Chapter 11 trustee for the A & O Life Fund LLC and six related estates.

Horizons for Youth

In 1991, Collins co-founded Horizons for Youth, an organization that provides scholarships, mentoring and a community of support for children from low-resource areas of Chicago. Collins has served as president, a board member and a mentor.

Education

Collins is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School

University of Chicago Law School

The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...

 and received his undergraduate degree in Economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

.