Education lawyers within 20 miles of Cleveland Ohio

I grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, the younger brother of two sisters and the son of immigrants. My mom was born in Germany and my dad was a Gottscheer. Gottschee was once a settlement of Austrians in what's now Slovenia; a settlement of German speakers that existed for about 600 years until 1941 ​ I started my legal career working as a law clerk for the Hon. Judge Harry Hanna and the Hon. Judge Leo Spellacy and visiting Judges assigned to preside over civil Jury Trials. During my time with the Court, I gained valuable experience observing lawyers handling Trials and insight in how Judges preside over Trials. As a law clerk, I assisted Judges with legal issues arose during those Trials. ​ After working for the Court, I practiced law for more than 18 years with a large regional defense firm representing insurance companies and insureds in a wide-variety of civil lawsuits including cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, mass tort, retail and hospitality, trucking and commercial transportation, commercial litigation, creditor's rights, and condominium law. ​ A few years ago, I had an opportunity to represent a woman who suffered a wrist injury and a unique, but serious condition when an airbag caused abrasions on her neck and face. Over-the-counter medications used to treat the abrasions caused my client to develop an allergy to propylene glycol. When I first got involved, the insurance company for the individual who caused that accident offered a mere $5,000 and denied that her condition was related to the accident. After working on the case, I obtained a significant six figure settlement. I gained a satisfaction that made me realize I wanted to represent individuals and families.

Russell has over 38 years of multi-state legal experience with both a local and national client base. He currently serves as outside General Counsel for several clients who own large Commercial Real Estate shopping centers both locally and nationally. Primary practice areas include financial institution and bank regulatory and compliance, representation of national creditors within general creditor’s rights enforcement, complex multi-state litigation, general commercial defense, Insurance Law corporate law, small business startups and general representation, and personal injury.