RETIRED BUSINESS LAWYER. PROBLEM SOLVER.
After graduating from the University of Texas Law School in 1982 Brenda spent her early legal career advising businesses and forging solutions in and outside of boardrooms and courtrooms.
In 1991 she founded her own law firm to work with small business entrepreneurs.
For 40 years Brenda provided the firm's clients with prompt and practical legal advice. In mid-2021 Brenda retired to Vancouver, Washington where she remains active in the community.
COMMUNITY FOCUSED. CARING.
For her entire career Brenda spent hundreds of hours yearly providing pro bono legal services to individuals and chairitable organizations.
Brenda served her community as a director of many civic and charitable Boards including the Austin Bar Association( as Board member and as President of the Solo Small Firm group), the Travis County Women Lawyers Foundation, Jane's Due Process and the Capital Area Democratic Women, among others.
In response to the separation of immigrant families and children at the Texas border, Brenda assembled a legal team that worked to obtain the release of several immigrant mothers held in detention. After four weeks of almost non-stop work, she succeeded in vacating court orders of deportation and reunited these families.
In 2015, Brenda initiated "Operation Save Neville" to keep a gentle dog from being killed by a wrongful court order.
The effort gained over 220,000 signatures and worldwide attention as the team negotiated with municipal, state and local officials and judges and forged a solution to spare Neville's life.
In 2016 Brenda founded a Texas political action committee to protect Texas animals, working with the state legislature to preserve "no-kill" in Texas. That work is continued today by Austin Pets Alive.
Before retiring Brenda spenthundreds of hours each year advising animal advocacy groups and animal rescues.
In 2020 Brenda represented AJK Family Rescue in Austin Texas in the “Squeaky” stray dog case that resulted in a positive change to the Lockhart, Texas stray dog ordinance, allowing sooner adoption of stray animals.
In 2021 Brenda joined Just Save The Dog as an Advisory Board member and as a team member on the Save Santana Appeal in challenging a Round Rock, Texas city ordinance that wrongfully deemed Santana (a pit bull) as a dangerous dog and banned the dog from its home in Round Rock, Texas.
On the personal side, Brenda has been married to Roger Collier for 35 years. they have one child, Rob Mockley, who resides in Vancouver, Washington.
Brenda and Roger enjoy exploring the Pacific Norrthwest and spending time with their son Rob Mockley, his two rescued tripod pit bull dogs and cat, and their own 3 rescued cats and dog.
Before retiring Brenda worked side-by-side with Roger Collier, her husband of 35 years, now also etired in Vancouver, Washington. Roger ran the business end of CollierLaw.
Brenda and Roger enjoy spending time with their son Rob Mockley, traveling, eating good food with friends, and playing with their rescued dogs and cats.