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Biography

Russ applies his prior business education, industry involvement and 30 years of legal experience to provide his clients with innovative solutions to real estate, financial, oil and gas and other commercial disputes. He represents title insurance underwriters, title insurance agents, mortgage brokers, lenders, and other corporate and individual clients in matters involving land title issues, mortgage fraud, real estate disputes, lending and truth-in-lending issues, insurance coverage issues, contract disputes, and business torts.

Russ is also a member of the Board of Managers of the law firm’s title agency, Multi-State Title Agency, Ltd. Multi-State is an agent for six title insurance underwriters including Chicago Title Insurance Company, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company, Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, First American Title Insurance Company, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, and Stewart Title Guaranty Company.

Other Info About Russ

Experience

Legal Work Highlights

Successfully defended clients in multiple loan and multiple party mortgage fraud cases.

Successfully obtained summary judgment declaring that the clientโ€™s recorded mortgage securing a $225,000 loan had first priority despite the existence of a prior unrecorded mortgage.

Successfully obtained the dismissal of a fraudulent conveyance and preference transfer action against several directors and shareholders of a magazine and periodical wholesaler.

Assisted in successfully pursuing and obtaining a judgment for a corporate and individual client totaling approximately $180,000 for claims arising out of the opposing partiesโ€™ breach of an asset purchase agreement and non-compete agreement.

Assisted in the successful defense and in obtaining a judgment in favor of a hospital dismissing a doctorโ€™s claims that the hospital had allegedly breached its obligation to bill for the doctorโ€™s services.

Education

Law School

Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1992,ย cum laude
The Tax Lawyer,ย Member, Editorial Board

Undergraduate School

University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts and Sciences, B.A., 1989,ย cum laude

University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business, B.S., 1989,ย cum laude

Bar Memberships

Russ is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

New Jersey, 1992

New York, 1993

Ohio, 1997

Courts

Russ is admitted to practice before the following court(s):

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Court of Appeals,ย Sixth Circuit

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

The Best Lawyers in Americaยฎ, Litigation – Real Estate, 2013-2024, โ€œLawyer of the Year,โ€ 2018, 2022

Martindale-Hubbellยฎย AV Rated

Selected for inclusion as a 2013ย Top Rated Lawyer in โ€œBanking and Finance Lawโ€ inย The American Lawyer Corporate Counselย 

Selected for inclusion in โ€œWhoโ€™s Who in Energyโ€ inย Columbus Business First,ย 2013-2014, 2014-2015

Selected for inclusion in Central Ohioโ€™s Top Lawyersย byย Columbus CEOMagazine,ย 2009-2020

Ohio Super Lawyersยฎย Rising Star, 2005-2007

Professional Affiliations

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Ohio State Bar Association

Columbus Bar Association, Professional Ethics Committee; Common Pleas Court Committee; Real Property Committee; Federal Courts Committee

Ohio Land Title Association, Past President (2017-2018) and Past Trustee (2013-2019)

American Land Title Association, Title Counsel Committee

Ohio Bankers League

Columbus Regional Logistics Counsel

Frost Brown Todd LogisticsConnectยฎ Committee Member

Presentations

Russ was invited to speak at the following events:

โ€œWho Wants to be an Ethical Title Agent?โ€ Westcor Land Title Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio, September 21, 2023.

“Modern Ethical Issues Facing Title Agents,โ€ Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Columbus, Ohio, November 11, 2022.

“Modern Ethical Issues Facing Title Agents,โ€ First American Title Insurance Company, Louisville, Kentucky, June 9, 2022, and Columbus, Ohio, October 13, 2022.

“Modern Ethical Issues Facing Title Agents,โ€ Ohio Land Title Association, Dublin, Ohio, April 7, 2022.

โ€œHot Topics in Title Insurance Litigation: What is Old is New Again.โ€ First American Title Academy, Columbus, Ohio, March 10, 2022.

โ€œPandemic Fatigue… Maybe… Cyber Fraud and Elder Abuse Fatigue… Never!โ€ Westcor Land Title Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio, November 16, 2021.

โ€œHot Topics in Title Insurance Litigation: What is Old is New Again.โ€ Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus, Ohio, June 29, 2021.

โ€œPandemic Fatigue . . . Maybe . . . Cyber Fraud and Elder Abuse Fatigue . . . Never!โ€ Kentucky Land Title Association, Columbus, Ohio, June 9, 2021.

โ€œLetโ€™s Be Careful Out There: Identification for Cyber Fraud and Elder Abuse in the Title Industry,โ€ Ohio Land Title Association, Columbus, Ohio, September 22, 2020.

โ€œTitle Agency Ethics: Operating Ethically in an Unethical World,โ€ Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio, July 23, 2020.

โ€œTitle Agency Ethics: Operating Ethically in an Unethical World,โ€ Kentucky Land Title Association, Louisville, Kentucky, November 13, 2019.

โ€œTitle Agency Ethics: Operating Ethically in an Unethical World,โ€ Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Westerville, Ohio, November 11, 2019.

โ€œReal Estate Closing Ethics: Operating Ethically in an Unethical World,โ€ Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus, Ohio, October 16, 2019.

โ€œTitle Agency Ethics: Operating Ethically in an Unethical World,โ€ Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Louisville, Kentucky, June 4, 2019.

โ€œMineral Rights:ย Ownership and Potential Title Claims,โ€ Ohio Land Title Association, Worthington, Ohio, April 18, 2017.

โ€œMortgage Fraud: The Evolving Problemโ€ฆ.How to Detect and Avoid It,โ€ Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Dublin, Ohio, March 25, 2015 and Louisville, Kentucky, June 2, 2015.

โ€œThe Coming Wave of Director and Officer Lawsuits: Navigating the Deluge of FOIC Enforcement, Dodd Frank and Borrower Lawsuitsโ€; Ohio Bankers League/West Virginia Bankers Association/Illinois League of Financial Institutions Annual Convention, Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, July 30, 2013.

โ€œOil and Gas Litigation: The New Rageโ€, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Dublin, Ohio, November 13, 2012.

โ€œ2012 Ohio Oil and Gas Law Update: The Beginning of the Avalanche???โ€, Ohio Land Title Association, Columbus, Ohio, September 11, 2012.

โ€œ2012 Case Law Update and Legislative Updateโ€, Ohio Land Title Association, Dublin, Ohio, May 4, 2012.

โ€œEthics in Title Agency Operations: Knowing Right from Wrongโ€, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Dublin, Ohio, November 15, 2011.

โ€œBest Practices in Developing Controls for Agency Operationsโ€, Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Columbus, Ohio, November 11, 2011.

โ€œMortgage Fraud: Identification of Red Flags,โ€ Ohio Land Title Association, Columbus, Ohio, June 14, 2011.

โ€œBest Practices in Developing Controls for Agency Operations,โ€ Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio, November 16, 2010.

โ€œTitle Court,โ€ Ohio Land Title Association, Columbus, Ohio, May 8, 2010.

โ€œClaims Chroniclesโ€, Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Columbus, Ohio November 11, 2009.

โ€œMortgage Fraud: An Ounce of Prevention is a Worth a Pound of Cure,โ€ Ohio Land Title Association, Dublin, Ohio, May 1, 2009.

โ€œWhatโ€™s Hot in the Title Insurance Industry?โ€, Frost Brown Todd LLC Title Insurance Industry/Seminar Series, Columbus, Ohio, October 10, 2008.

โ€œMortgage Fraud โ€” Red Flags at the Table,โ€ Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Independence, Ohio, November 14, 2007.

โ€œAffiliated Business Arrangements โ€” Now and in the Future,โ€ย The Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn Title Insurance Industry Breakfast Exchange, Columbus, Ohio, August 22, 2007.

โ€œProposed Regulations for Amended Senate Bill 185 โ€” Impact to the Title Insurance Industry,โ€ The Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn Title Insurance Industry Breakfast Exchange, Columbus, Ohio, January 18, 2007.

โ€œConsumers Strike Backโ€ฆWhat Amended Senate Bill 185 Means to You and Your Title Insurance Business,โ€ Co-presenter, The Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn Title Insurance Industry Breakfast Exchange, Columbus, Ohio, July 18, 2006.

โ€œMortgage Fraud: Federal, State and Local Criminal Enforcement and Civil Perspectives,โ€ย Old Republic Nationalย Title Insurance Company, Dublin, Ohio,ย March 16, 2006.

โ€œThe Hot Issues: Ensuring Compliance in the Residential Mortgage Lending and Title Insurance Industry,โ€ The Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn Title Insurance Industry Breakfast Exchange, Columbus, Ohio, December 14, 2005.

Major Publications

Russ is an author or contributor to the following publications:

โ€œWire Fraud . . . Whatโ€™s Your Tolerance?โ€ Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, March 2023.

“The Title Insurance Industry Migraine that Will Not Subside: The Business Email Compromise Scam,โ€ Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, December 2021.

โ€œPoof Goes the E&O Coverage of a Spoofed Title Agency: The Morale to the Authentic Title Services, Inc. v. Greenwich Insurance Company, et al. Decision,โ€ Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, January, 2021.

โ€œA Mortgage by Any Other Name is Still a Mortgage: Griffin v. First Natโ€™l Accept. Co., 2013-OHIO-4302 (11th Dist. Sept. 30, 2013),โ€ย Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, October 2013.

โ€œAnother Ohio Appeals Court Finds Negligence is not a Bar to the Application of the Doctrine of Equitable Subrogation,โ€ Frost Brown Todd Banking Law Blog, April 3, 2008.

โ€œInadequately Informed Notaries: Nightmares to the Lending and Title Insurance Industries,ย Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, November, 2002.

โ€œJunk Faxes: Do Recent Federal Regulations Assist in Navigating the Murky Waters of Advertising by Fax?โ€ย Broker Magazine, Broker Magazine and Source Media, Inc., March, 2007.

โ€œJunk Faxes: Are You In Compliance?โ€ย Title News, American Land Title Association, Nov./Dec., 2006.

โ€œJunk Faxes: More Than A Small Claims Matter,โ€ย ย Broker Magazine, Broker Magazine and Source Media, Inc., March, 2006 andย Title News, American Land Title Association, Nov./Dec., 2005.

โ€œSafeguards to Ensure Proper Mortgage Recordings,โ€ย ย Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, August, 2003.

โ€œThe Importance of Proper Notarizations: A Lesson Never to Be Forgotten,โ€ย Title Topics, Ohio Land Title Association, December, 2004.

โ€œWill the Real Owner of This Mortgage Please โ€˜Standโ€: The Necessary Standing for Ohio Foreclosure Actions After Schwartzwald,โ€ Frost Brown Todd Financial Services Blog, December 28, 2012.

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