Jeanne C. "Cezy" Collins is a partner in the firm's Litigation Department focusing her practice in commercial litigation, trademark, and copyright matters. Over the years, Ms. Collins has handled a variety of cases in state and federal courts concerning trademark infringement, class action certification, contractual disputes, real estate disputes, unfair competition, employment, defamation, tort claims, and governmental immunity. Prior to joining Kemp Smith, Ms. Collins was an Assistant County Attorney in the El Paso County Attorney's Office, where she was Division Chief of the Civil Litigation and Family Violence Units. Before government service, Ms. Collins was a Staff Attorney at El Paso Legal Assistance Society handling legal matters on behalf of indigent clients.
In August 2011, Ms. Collins was elected President of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations. The NCWBA is an organization of women’s bar associations, for women’s bar associations, representing approximately 35,000 women lawyers. Ms. Collins co-chairs the El Paso Women's Bar Association's Positive Role Model Program which teaches the importance of education to 5th grade students. Recently, Ms. Collins was appointed by Texas State Bar President Bob Black to the Taskforce on Additional Resources for Complex Cases. Currently, Ms. Collins also serves as the President of the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center.
In 2010, El Paso Women’s Bar Association awarded Ms. Collins the 2010 Trailblazer Award. In 2009, Ms. Collins was selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers by publishers Thomson Reuters, the recipient of the Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, and appointed Chair of the Supreme Court of Texas Task Force to Expand Legal Services Delivery. In 2008, Ms. Collins was elected State Bar Director for District 17 and appointed by Texas State Bar President Harper Estes to the Texas Access to Justice Commission, serving a three year term for both organizations ending June 2011.
In the past, Ms. Collins served as President of the National Foundation for Women’s Bar Associations (2008-2011), President of the El Paso Bar Foundation (2008-2011), President of Texas Women Lawyers (2004-2005) and President of the El Paso Women's Bar Association (1999 and 2001), and served as Commissioner to the El Paso County Civil Service Commission (2002-2004). In 2002-2003, she was voted Outstanding Lawyer of El Paso by the El Paso Young Lawyers Association.
