Last Friday, Stephens Preston Collins, daughter of Bill and Susan Preston of Douglas, became the newest lawyer in Coffee County. A fourth generation attorney and 2026 graduate of Mercer Law School, Preston Collins took her oath of office as the newest member of the local bar at the Coffee County Courthouse. Superior Court Judge Jeff Kight administered the oath.
Preston Collins is a 2017 graduate of Coffee High School and a 2021 graduate of Georgia Southern University, where she graduated magna cum laude as a Parker College of Business Scholar with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a minor in international studies. She was also Phi Mu vice president at GSU.
Preston Collins then enrolled at Mercer Law School and during her time in Macon, received the CALI Award for having the highest grade in her Advanced Litigation Drafting class. She was also a member of the Rural Law Students Association and received a certificate in advanced legal writing, research, and drafting.
“I think back to the time when there was this little girl, big ponytail, a preschool kid riding her tricycle a hundred miles an hour, around all the other kids, wide open. And I’m so blessed to be here today to watch you. I am so proud of you. Everybody over here is so proud of you. You’re ready for what’s ahead. You have exhibited such compassion for others in your volunteer work. The bar is a lot better off today because you’re a part of it. And there are a lot of people that are going to be blessed to walk into your office. I love you,” said Bill Preston, her father and the third generation Preston attorney.
“Our families go back a long way, as you well know. Your grandfather is here today. And I can’t think of how special this must be for your family. You’ve come a long way. A lot of people in this room know that. And I don’t mean just us lawyers. Your mama knows that, your husband knows that, your family knows that. I always encourage young lawyers to take one of two paths. Go work for the government for a few years or go work for a litigation firm that knows what they’re doing. You’ve chosen that path and you’re going to gain so much knowledge over the next few years. Here is something else I want you to keep in mind. We walk around these paper files, right? Some are little, some are big. But there’s a human being inside each one of those files. That’s what I want you to remember, that there’s a human inside that file. And that’s what you represent. Good luck and we’re all here to support you,” said State Court Judge Clint Lott.
“It’s incredible to me, Stephens, that you are standing where you are for the event that we celebrate today. And I say that not because I have been astounded at your accomplishments, which I have been, but I say it because it’s a hard thing to accomplish. It really is, and I’m so proud of you and so proud of the fact that you belong to my family. May God always bless you, dear,” said retired State Court Judge Bob Preston, Collins’s grandfather and the second generation of the four generations of Preston attorneys.
Preston Collins has joined the trial team at Savage, Turner, Pinckney, Savage, Sprouse, & Gilluly. Stephens is married
Robert Preston Jr./DouglasNow.com
to Brady Collins, who is also a student at Mercer Law School.
