‘Such a force for good’: Renowned environmental lawyer Collins who fought for pollution victims dies

In the early 2000s, attorney Shawn Collins put his law firm on the line for Lisle residents suffering from the effects of pollution.

After hearing a toxic chemical had leaked into drinking water from the Lockformer Co. plant in his hometown, Collins didn’t hesitate. He filed a class-action lawsuit, learning the intricacies of environmental litigation along the way.

“Ultimately, I was just very, very angry. I couldn't believe anyone would do this to people,” Collins said in 2003. “The families had done absolutely nothing wrong. It's a great thing to be on the side of somebody like that.”

Collins, devoted family man and nationally honored litigator who fought corporate polluters and won millions for victims, died Sunday at age 67. The Naperville resident fought a “valiant battle” following a heart attack last month, relatives said.

“He was a big personality, a big presence, and he just wanted to do something to make the world a better place,” Collins’ wife, Meg, said Monday.

“He pushed hard for those who didn’t have a voice,” added attorney Patrick Collins, Shawn’s younger brother.

The founder of Naperville-based Collins Law, he successfully litigated multiple environmental lawsuits, including actions against Lockformer and Sterigenics. In the latter case, he partnered with other firms to achieve a $363 million judgment against the company accused of emitting cancer-causing ethylene oxide in Willowbrook.

Collins was not only a skillful lawyer but a true friend, said Rose Keppler of Willowbrook, a plaintiff in the Sterigenics case.

“He became a part of your life, and he knew what we were going through. The caring was so deep and so sincere,” Keppler said.

Collins grew up in Lisle with his parents and six siblings.

By fifth grade, the “pioneering overachiever” had a newspaper route and lawn mowing business, Patrick Collins remembered. He later won a scholarship to the prestigious St. Ignatius College Prep, where he excelled at basketball.

“Once he set his mind to something, there was no mountain he couldn’t climb,” Patrick Collins said, noting his brother worked his way through the University of Notre Dame and obtained a degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1986.

“Whatever Shawn did, I wanted to do because he was my hero,” added Collins, who served as a federal prosecutor.

Collins and Meg met in 1982 and married four years later. Meg Collins remembered being charmed by his “Cary Grant” looks and sense of humor.

The couple had three children, Cat, Cassidy and Darcy, now adults.

“Meg and his three daughters were his world and he was their world,” Collins’ law partner Ed Manzke said.

“He was always there. For all their activities, for all their sports,” Meg Collins said. “He always made time for them.”

In the courtroom, Collins cut a different figure, using his wit and intellect to demolish corporate expert witnesses and executives.

His firm had focused on business law until learning about wells near the Lockformer plant that were contaminated with the chemical trichloroethylene.

“It really changed the trajectory of his legal career,” Manzke said. “He found his legal calling.”

Collins delved into the science, working until 2 a.m. some days and using his home as collateral to obtain a line of credit to cover expenses.

Outnumbered by defense lawyers, Collins’ team persevered and before it went to the jury, Lockformer, which never admitted responsibility, settled for $10 million.

Years later, Collins’ experience was indispensable with Sterigenics, said Pat Salvi, the lead attorney on the trial.

“His leadership was critical to the success of the litigation,” said Salvi.

While a “fierce” and “formidable” presence in court, Collins was gentleness itself with clients.

“I was always impressed by his detailed knowledge of what his clients were going through,” Salvi said.

For Manzke, “he was such a force for good … and such a great example of what it means to be a husband, a father, a friend, a leader, and a lawyer.”

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Jameson Humane, a California rescue ranch founded by Monica, Shawn’s sister, or Horizons For Youth, a scholarship and mentoring program for Chicago youth co-founded by Patrick Collins.