Former USDA Assistant General Counsel Brian Collins Joins Faegre Drinker in Washington, D.C.

Faegre Drinker announced today that Brian Collins has joined the firm’s litigation group as counsel in the Washington, D.C. office. Collins joins from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he was assistant general counsel for the Natural Resources and Environment Division.

Collins has extensive experience advising complex litigation, investigations, and arbitrations, both in private practice and at the DOJ and the USDA. He partners with companies across the agribusiness, energy, and mining sectors and provides strategic counsel on environmental compliance, rulemaking, and litigation risk, and can help developers, operators, and investors move capital-intensive projects through federal permitting and defend those approvals when challenged in litigation.

“Brian’s successful track record litigating matters in private practice and at the DOJ and the USDA makes him an outstanding addition to our team,” said William Connolly, leader of the firm's litigation group. “His courtroom experience and deep understanding of regulatory and permitting challenges will be a tremendous asset to our clients and our team.”

As an experienced trial attorney, Collins has supervised large legal teams, provided legal advice and counseling to senior decision-makers, and managed complex, politically sensitive cases. He has advised senior agency officials, developed administrative records, and defended decisions in litigation, providing a unique perspective on navigating large infrastructure permitting projects. His practice spans public lands and federal permitting matters, energy, mining, and infrastructure development, federal rulemaking, and regulatory counseling. 

Collins earned his bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College and his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. 

Faegre Drinker’s litigation group offers national counsel services, on-the-ground litigation support, and local court relationships to help clients achieve their business objectives while minimizing disruption. With risk mitigation and litigation avoidance central to the group’s strategy, the team has an established track record of defeating claims at the pleading stage, at trial, and on appeal when litigation becomes unavoidable.