Scott E. Collins

Professional Experience
As managing partner of Helsell Fetterman since 2001, Scott Collins understands the operational aspects of business and how legal issues must be addressed within greater business considerations. Utilizing that perspective, he provides clients with cost-effective legal counsel achieving practical results that serve their business goals.

Scott began his career representing lenders and vendors in the fishing and boating industries of the Pacific Northwest. These were tumultuous years for the fishing industry—and Scott frequently managed vessel arrest proceedings, foreclosing ship mortgages, maritime liens, and bankruptcy proceedings, protecting creditor claims and defending against trustee actions for preferential transfers.

Over the years Scott’s practice has expanded to a broader range of industries. Today, as chair of the firm’s business and real estate group, his practice focuses on banking and financial transactions, business and real estate transactions, and business litigation. In his banking and finance practice, Scott counsels financial institutions on all facets of the lending relationship—from drafting loan documentation and creating security interests; to working out troubled debt and foreclosing on collateral; to protecting lender claims in bankruptcy court.

In his business and real estate practice, Scott serves as general counsel to businesses on the issues they face day-to-day in their operations – from their formation, acquisition or merger; to their development, manufacture, sale and licensing of products; to their sale, leasing and acquisition of real estate; to their employment issues. Scott is also an experienced litigator on a broad range of business disputes—from quieting title in commercial real estate in state court; to defending preferential and fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy court; to handling breach of contract and warranty claims in federal court.