Featherstun, Glen A.

Rick Collins practices primarily criminal defense and has successfully tried many serious felony cases to verdict, including acquittals on charges such as armed robbery and intentional arson. He has also conducted civil litigation, recently traveling on a commission to Stockholm, Sweden, for genealogical kinship hearings on behalf of the Public Administrator of Nassau County. He has successfully represented people from all walks of life, and is known for his thorough and attentive service to all of his clients. A former competitive bodybuilder and certified personal trainer, he often advises legal clients in the strength, health and fitness community.

Rick is recognized as a legal authority on the non-medical use of anabolic steroids, and has been involved in the defense of countless cases involving sports performance drugs. He has personally defended individuals in a variety of jurisdictions from New York to California and at the borders of Canada and Mexico (he is admitted to practice in the Federal Court for the Western District of Texas). He has been consulted by amateur and professional bodybuilders, wrestlers, physicians, pharmacists, longevity centers, military servicemen, police departments, and various business entities. He was retained last year by a coalition of nutritional supplement companies to spearhead a presentation of scientific evidence and legal arguments to the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington on the distinctions between the prohormone androstenedione and anabolic steroids. He frequently assists other criminal lawyers in the defense of sports drug prosecutions. Rick is the monthly legal columnist for the nationally circulated Muscular Development magazine, and a member of their Advisory Board. He maintains a web site at www.SteroidLaw.com with extensive information for the public about steroids and the law.

Rick was honored with the 2001 President's Award of the Nassau County Bar Association. He works on the Executive Committee of the Criminal Justice Section of the New York State Bar Association, and has testified regarding criminal justice issues before the Council of the City of New York on behalf of the 60,000 members of the association. He is the President of the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Nassau County and an officer or member of numerous other state and national professional organizations including the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the New York State Defenders Association. He is an annual faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, having served as Team Leader. He has been formally rated by his peers as a lawyer practicing at the highest levels of skill and integrity. He has appeared as a legal commentator on the nationally televised NewsTalk Television Network, and frequently lectures on trial practice and criminal law issues. A resourceful advocate, Rick's court room arguments regarding prosecutorial cross-examination limits in the grand jury (in People v. Larry Smith) were affirmed by the New York State Court of Appeals.

Rick was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate at Hofstra University. After attending law school on a full academic scholarship and serving on the Law Review, he was admitted to the New York Bar and served as an assistant district attorney for five years. Rick is the Editor-in-Chief of the Nassau Lawyer, the journal of the Nassau County Bar. He is also active in community programs and civic associations. In the past he has worked as a stage and film actor, and is a member of the Screen Actor's Guild.