Russell regularly represents clients before boards of zoning appeals/boards of adjustments, planning commissions and local and county legislative bodies throughout the State of Indiana and Commonwealth of Kentucky. Russell has successfully navigated numerous clients through corporate and real estate transactions, including advising on corporate formation strategies, negotiating complex and multi-party asset, stock or real estate purchase or lease agreements and assisting clients in completing requisite transactional and financing due diligence. Russell’s work before zoning and planning boards includes representing single family and multi-family developers, mixed use developments, big box commercial users, industrial users, self-storage operators, fuel centers, non-profit entities, conservation groups, small businesses and wireless communication providers and infrastructure providers. In his career, Russell has provided representation and counsel to municipalities, municipal corporations, townships, redevelopment commissions and community development corporations and has served as counsel to developers engaging in public and private partnerships with municipal entities for commercial and residential developments, including developer backed bond transactions and Housing TIF projects. Russell also provides representation to individuals in estate planning and probate services and corporations in succession planning and as general counsel.

Prior to joining the Firm, Russell worked in various public sector roles including as a member of the Governor’s Office staff under the late Frank O’Bannon. Russell also served as the Director of Policy of the Department of Workforce Development and as lobbyist before Indiana’s General Assembly for the trade organization for Indiana’s paid circulation newspapers. During law school Russell served as vice chairperson of the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of Lawrence, Indiana.

From nearly five and a half years, Russell served as the elected Township Trustee of Lawrence Township, Marion County, before choosing not to stand for re-election in 2014. Under Russell’s leadership the Township transitioned from a deficit budget to a surplus budget, merged the township fire department with the Indianapolis Fire Department, renovated the Morris Settles Township Center and created the Lawrence Township Hunger Coalition, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not for profit community organization which started and until July 2016, operated The Cupboard of Lawrence Township.

In 2010-2011, Russell was a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Bar Leader Series Class VIII and was named one of Indiana Lawyer’s “Up and Coming Lawyers” in 2012. Russell serves on the Board of Directors for the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority, serving since February 2012, currently serving as Board President as an appointment of Lawrence Mayor Deborah Whitfield. He also serves the City of Lawrence as a member of the Lawrence Municipal Building Corporation.

Russell is a December 2006 cum laude graduate of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where he served as an Associate Editor of the Indiana Law Review, participated in pro-bono work and was a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board. Russell earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas in 1999, spending a semester abroad in Florence, Italy, during his undergrad career and a summer in Uganda, East Africa.

For nearly 12 years Russell served on the Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, including service as the Board Chair for two years and as a volunteer site intake coordinator for more than ten years.

Russell and his wife Karyn, are residents at the former Fort Benjamin Harrison. Russell is father to a son, Jeb, and together they are avid “Ballpark Chasers”, completing their journey to see all currently active major league baseball parks in July 2022. Since college Russell has also served several stints as a youth baseball coach and volunteer, including coaching several Oaklandon Bombers teams until the completion of 2021 season.

Russell is admitted to practice in the State of Indiana as well as the Northern and Southern District Courts of Indiana and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Russell is also a Registered Civil Mediator in the State of Indiana. He is an at-large member of the Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Bar Association, previously serving as a member and chair of IndyBar’s Real Estate/Land Use Division, a member of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association, and previously served as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Indiana Innovation Initiative Task Force and lectures as part of the faculty for the APEX bar review powered by the Indianapolis Bar Association.