Gary J. Collins

Gary J. Collins is a Farmington Hills, Michigan, attorney whose work includes school labor relations. His State Bar of Michigan profile lists Collins & Blaha, P.C. as his firm and records his status as an active member in good standing.

School employment preceded his legal career. Before becoming an attorney, Collins spent two years as a labor relations consultant for the Michigan Association of School Boards, followed by a four-year position directing labor relations for Grand Blanc Community Schools. His Collins & Blaha biography credits him with representing more than 30 Michigan school districts in collective bargaining. That work has included mediation, fact finding and arbitration.

Collins also writes about the rules governing teachers’ employment. He and William J. Blaha co-authored The Michigan Teacher and Tenure, which reached its eighth edition in 2017. Another publication, The Michigan Teacher and Administrator Evaluations, lists him as a co-author in 2016. His O’Reilly Rancilio biography describes additional work advising on tax-exempt notes and bonds, from the initial decision through closing, and reports litigation on behalf of more than 30 public-sector institutions.

At Michigan State University, Collins earned an undergraduate degree with high honors and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations. He then received his law degree from Wayne State University. His Michigan bar admission dates to November 12, 1981; Collins & Blaha also lists admissions to the federal district courts for Michigan’s Eastern and Western districts and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.