Collins & Lacy co-founder receives Order of the Palmetto

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Joel Collins Jr., co-founder of Columbia law firm Collins & Lacy, has received the S.C. Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor, from Gov. Henry McMaster.

Collins, who co-founded the firm in 1984 along with Stan Lacy, has focused his practice on professional liability law, white-collar criminal defense and civil litigation. He has been honored by legal peer reviews South Carolina Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America and has held leadership positions in local and national civic organizations including the Rotary Club, the National Safety Council and the American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation.

Collins has taught a U.S. Constitution course at the University of South Carolina Honors College since 2010 and helped establish scholarship and pre-law societies at Clemson, Wofford, Winthrop and The Citadel.

“Always going the extra mile to serve and mentor others, to further the legal profession and to give back to South Carolina, Joel is the perfect embodiment of this award,” Collins & Lacy management committee chair Christian Stegmaier said in a news release. “We are extremely proud of him.”