Brian Collins

Brian Collins is a trial lawyer and courtroom fighter with a wealth of trial experience in complex, high-profile cases. At VSCP LAW Brian focuses his practice on fighting for individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries and damages due to the misconduct of culpable Defendants, including cases involving preventable deaths, brain injuries, paralysis or sexual abuse.

Prior to joining VSCP LAW, Brian has handled some of the most noteworthy prosecutions in Philadelphia over the last five years involving police misconduct, abuses of civil rights, official misconduct, and municipal corruption. Brian has successfully prosecuted a former homicide detective in Philadelphia for a series of sexual assaults, secured the first voluntary manslaughter conviction for a killing by an on-duty police officer in the history of the City of Philadelphia, as well as many other important and complex matters. His wealth of experience in the courtroom and in preparing some of the most difficult cases brought by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in recent memory enables him to be a relentless advocate for his clients at VSCP LAW who are victims of medical negligence, sexual abuse, or civil wrongdoings.

Brian’s attention to detail, his tireless effort on behalf of his client or cause, and his exceptional ability to persuade judges and juries in high-stakes trials has earned him the utmost respect of the legal community in Philadelphia and throughout the state. He has a strong passion fighting for individual clients against long odds that was first forged at the Public Defender’s Office in Philadelphia where he handled many serious cases to jury verdict. His experience in both the government, as a former District Attorney in Philadelphia, and in the private sector representing clients, gives him a unique and ideal perspective when fighting for victims in the civil arena at VSCP LAW. He understands both how to build a compelling case, but also how to break one down and attack the other side. This skill allows him to help his clients at VSCP LAW to build the strongest cases possible to get the compensation they deserve.

Brian earned his undergraduate dual degree at Villanova University, majoring in Economics and Finance, and graduating with summa cum laude honors. While at Villanova, Brian nurtured his early interest in trial work by founding and leading the Villanova Mock Trial Team to national prominence in its second year of existence. After graduating from Villanova, Brian, a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area, remained in the city to attend the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He graduated from Penn with cum laude honors and continued to hone his interest in trial work by earning a place on the law school’s Trial Team.

Following law school, Brian joined Dechert LLP, one of the largest law firms in the world, working on complex products liability matters, but soon recognized that he had a passion to fight for individual clients. In particular, he developed this passion after an experience representing an individual in a prison civil rights case where prison doctors failed to properly diagnose and treat his client’s injury and prison officials callously ignored his client’s suffering. This realization led Brian to join the storied Defender Association of Philadelphia, the public defender’s office, where he received invaluable trial skills, training, and experience in countless bench and jury trials.

Brian returned to private practice after several years in public service, but remained in the courtroom while successfully defending clients accused of crimes before juries and judges. He also fought for just compensation for victims of police violence and misconduct.

Brian continued with this focus on bringing justice to marginalized individuals against persons in positions of power when he joined the District Attorney’s Office in the Special Investigations Unit. As part of the DAO, Brian had the opportunity to lead investigations into a wide variety of official misconduct involving large and complex matters, bring cases to juries to find justice for victims of that misconduct, and help bring a voice to those people who might otherwise be ignored. Brian continues that fight for justice at VSCP LAW.

Brian is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, the federal courts in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Outside of work, Brian lives in Philadelphia with his wife, their son, and dog. He has volunteered as a member of the board of directors for the historic preservation of a tall ship in Philadelphia, for the Bar Association of Philadelphia’s Judicial Commission, which assists with rating potential judicial candidates, and with his church. He also enjoys being active outdoors, playing guitar in his band, and the restaurant scene in Philadelphia.