About Russell
Russell regularly represents clients before zoning boards, planning commissions and local legislative bodies throughout the States of Indiana and Kentucky and has successfully navigated numerous clients through corporate and real estate transactions, including advising on corporate formation strategies, negotiating complex asset, stock or real estate purchase or lease agreements and assisting clients in completing requisite transactional due diligence. Russell’s work before zoning and planning boards includes representing single family and multi-family developers, 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 private partnerships with municipal entities for commercial and residential developments, including developer backed bond transactions. Russell also provides representation to individuals in estate planning and probate services and corporations in succession planning.
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 a member and 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, first as an appointment of the Indianapolis City-County Council and now as an appointment of the Lawrence Common Council. From February 2012 until August 2020 he served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the FHRA.
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.
Since 2011 Russell has served on the Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, where he currently serves as the Chair of the Board.
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, including coaching Jeb’s Oaklandon Bomber’s 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. Russell is also a Registered Civil Mediator in the State of Indiana. In July, 2018, Russell was admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Real Estate/Land Use Division, of which he is a past chair, a member of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association, and served until August 2022, as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Indiana Innovation Initiative Task Force.