Collins & Lacy, P.C.

What Collins & Lacy, P.C. does

Collins & Lacy, P.C. is a privately held defense litigation law firm founded in April 1984 by Joel W. Collins, Jr. and Stanford E. Lacy in Columbia, South Carolina. The firm operates as a professional corporation and serves local, regional, and national clients through offices in Columbia (headquarters) and Charleston, with practice coverage spanning all 46 South Carolina counties and parts of Georgia. Headcount is reported in the 101-250 range, anchored by approximately 25 attorneys organized around ten practice areas: Retail & Hospitality, Construction, Trucking Defense, Professional Liability, Negligent Security Defense, Insurance Coverage, Products Liability, Governmental Affairs & Issue Advocacy, Criminal Defense, and Mediation.

The firm's core offering is professional legal services, with revenue generated through engagement-letter-based billing on litigation defense, coverage analysis, appellate representation, mediation, and regulatory matters. Its client base centers on insurance carriers and their insureds, retail and hospitality operators, construction contractors and design professionals, motor carriers and freight brokers, healthcare professionals, and public officials. Differentiated capabilities include a 24-hour accident response team with a SLED-trained in-house investigator for trucking matters, appellate experience before the Fourth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court, and embedded leadership roles in the Primerus international network, DRI, ABOTA, CLM, and SCDTAA.

Distribution is relationship-driven, relying on direct client engagement, peer referrals through national defense organizations, and Primerus network referrals rather than digital channels. The firm invests in thought leadership through "The Legal Bench" and "Military Veterans in Law" podcasts and the South Carolina Retail & Hospitality Law Blog. Leadership transitioned to a third generation on July 1, 2026, with Claude T. Prevost, III named President & CEO and Kelsey J. Brudvig named Vice President, succeeding Christian Stegmaier, who is set to lead the International Society of Primerus Law Firms in 2027. No external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity is indicated, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Collins & Lacy, P.C.

Legal name

Collins & Lacy, P.C.

Website

https://collinsandlacy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Collins & Lacy, P.C. is a 42-year-old South Carolina defense litigation law firm with offices in Columbia and Charleston, serving insurance carriers, retailers, hospitality operators, contractors, motor carriers, and public officials across all 46 SC counties and parts of Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Litigation Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Defense litigation
• Insurance defense
• Civil litigation
• Business litigation
• Tort defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Defense Litigation: Collins & Lacy generates revenue through legal services billed to clients, primarily insurance companies, their insured clients, and self-insured businesses. Services include litigation defense, coverage analysis, appellate representation, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm represents local, regional, and national clients in South Carolina courts and federal courts including the Fourth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Collins & Lacy, P.C. is a defense-side litigation law firm representing insurers, self-insured businesses, and corporate defendants in civil claims. The firm delivers trial, appellate, and advisory representation through 10 practice areas spanning business torts, class actions, construction, insurance coverage, transportation, premises liability, workers' compensation, employment, and hospitality.

Product overview

Collins & Lacy, P.C. is a South Carolina-based defense litigation law firm founded in 1984, offering legal services through ten distinct practice areas covering Retail & Hospitality, Construction, Trucking Defense, Professional Liability, Negligent Security Defense, Insurance Coverage, Products Liability, Governmental Affairs & Issue Advocacy, Criminal Defense, and Mediation. The firm also produces legal content through podcasts including 'The Legal Bench' and 'Military Veterans in Law,' as well as the South Carolina Retail & Hospitality Law Blog. The firm has offices in Columbia and Charleston, serving local, regional, and national clients in State and Federal Courts throughout South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defense Litigation (Business Litigation) Defense of business torts, contract disputes, and commercial litigation matters for corporations, insurers, and self-insured defendants.
• Class Action Defense Defense of class action lawsuits on behalf of corporate defendants and insurers in South Carolina state and federal courts.
• Construction Law Defense representation for construction industry clients including contractors, owners, and insurers in disputes arising from construction projects.
• Insurance Coverage Coverage analysis and litigation on behalf of insurance carriers concerning policy interpretation, bad faith, and coverage disputes.
• Trucking and Transportation Defense Defense of commercial motor carriers and their insurers in trucking accident and transportation liability matters.
• Appellate Practice Appeals and writs on behalf of defendants in state and federal appellate courts.
• Workers' Compensation Defense Defense of employers, insurers, and third-party administrators in workers' compensation claims.
• Employment Law Defense-side employment law representation for employers in discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and labor disputes.
• Hospitality and Retail Defense Defense of hospitality and retail businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and premises liability claims.
• Premises Liability Defense Defense of property owners and businesses in premises liability claims, including slip-and-fall and negligent security matters.

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• PrimerusflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimerus is a society of the world's finest independent, boutique law firms with nearly 200 member firms in more than 40 countries. Collins & Lacy is the First Primerus firm in South Carolina, providing clients easy access to the right lawyer, with the right skills, in the right location, and at the right cost. This affiliation allows the firm to serve clients needing representation outside South Carolina through trusted peer firms.
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABOTA's mission is to foster improvement in the ethical and technical standards of practice in the field of advocacy to the end that individual litigants may receive more effective representation and the general public be benefited by more efficient administration of justice consistent with time-tested and traditional principles of litigation. Multiple Collins & Lacy attorneys are members, with co-founder Joel Collins having served as National President.
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRI is the largest international membership organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. Collins & Lacy attorneys hold leadership positions including Vice Chair positions on committees and serve as faculty for DRI seminars.
• Claims Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLM is dedicated to meeting the professional development needs of the claims and litigation management profession. Since 2007, it has provided membership with opportunities to expand knowledge, build personal brand, and advance careers through continuing education programs, networking events, industry resources, and designations.
• South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association (SCDTAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCDTAA's mission is to bring together by association, communication, and organization, lawyers of South Carolina who devote a substantial amount of their professional time to the handling of litigated cases and whose representation in such cases is primarily for the defense.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. Large South Carolina-based full-service law firm with strong insurance defense, construction, and litigation practices serving clients across the Carolinas. Directly comparable as a regional defense litigation competitor in the same primary geographies.
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Southeast-founded AmLaw firm headquartered in Columbia, SC with deep insurance defense, professional liability, and tort practice groups. Closest scale-comparable peer with overlapping verticals including trucking, construction, and insurance coverage.
• Nexsen Pruet Adams Kleemeier: South Carolina-headquartered regional firm with strong litigation, insurance, and construction defense practices. Directly competes for the same SC-based insurance carrier and corporate defense work.
• Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein: Charlotte-headquartered regional firm with SC offices serving similar insurance, construction, and corporate defense clients across the Carolinas. Directly comparable size and Southeast regional footprint.
• Burr & Forman: Southeast regional firm with strong insurance, construction, and commercial litigation practices and SC offices. Competes for similar insurance defense and corporate litigation work in the Carolinas.
• Adams and Reese: Southeast regional firm with significant insurance defense, construction, and tort practices and a Columbia, SC office. Directly comparable regional competitor for Collins & Lacy's core defense litigation verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart: National labor and employment defense firm with significant SC presence. Competes for overlapping employment, professional liability, and corporate defense work but with broader geographic reach and a much larger bench.
• Jackson Lewis P.C. Largest U.S. firm focused exclusively on workplace law with SC offices. Competes for employment-related defense work that overlaps Collins & Lacy's professional liability and retail/hospitality practices.
• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith: Large national defense firm with offices across the Southeast including SC. Competes for insurance defense, premises liability, trucking, and professional liability work with a deeper bench and broader geographic footprint.
• Fisher Phillips: National labor and employment defense firm with regional offices. Adjacent competitor for employment matters that intersect Collins & Lacy's retail/hospitality and professional liability defense practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubemusic.amazon.com/podcasts/a4880930-0fff-4d7c-bf52-4921dbbdd80b/military-veterans-in-law-podcast
• Xx.com/collinsandlacy
• Facebookfacebook.com/collinsandlacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Collins & Lacy, P.C.