Professional Experience
As managing partner of Helsell Fetterman from 2001 to 2022, 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 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. He also provides Washington State law legal opinions upon the requests of lenders in loan and finance transactions of all sizes and shapes.
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 partnership disputes and employment issues. Scott is also an experienced litigator on a broad range of business disputes—from quieting real estate title in state court; to defending preferential and fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy court; to handling breach of contract and warranty claims in federal court.
Community Involvement
- President, King County Bar Foundation
- Former President, Northwest Justice Project
- Former President, World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP)
- Former President, Bellevue Thunderbird Little League
- Former President, Newport Boys Basketball Association
- Former Treasurer, Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington
- Former Chair, Admiralty Law Committee
- Volunteer Lawyer, and former coordinator, Downtown Seattle Legal Clinic
- Student Mentor, Maritime High School
Achievements
Martindale Hubbell rates Scott as AV® Preeminent 5.0. Avvo.com rates Scott 10.0 out of 10. He is a Senior Fellow in Litigation Counsel of America and a Proctor in Admiralty for the Maritime Law Association of the United States. Scott has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation (Insolvency and Restructuring, and Real Estate) every year since 2014. Scott has also been recognized as a Top Lawyer by Seattle Metropolitan and Washington CEO magazines and, every year since 2007, he has been named as a Super Lawyer.
