Russell has successfully litigated a robust range of complex commercial and tort claims in federal and state court; for example, he served on the trial team that achieved Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s Largest Defense Verdict of 2012. In April 2013, he second-chaired a five-week jury trial in federal court, and in April 2015, he argued an appeal before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Beyond his courtroom experience, Russell brings valuable know-how related to eDiscovery; records collection, review and production; and navigating discovery disputes. He has managed large review teams and oversees voluminous technology-aided reviews.

Pro bono work plays an important role in Russell’s practice. He has represented adult defendants in federal and state criminal proceedings and children in juvenile proceedings. He has also worked on a civil rights claim based on 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Before joining Shook, Russell served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural Romanian village. He taught English at a local school, worked with a small NGO and produced educational English programming for Romanian television.

Publications

Internet of Things: Emerging Technologies and Liabilities, Corporate Disputes, July-September 2020.

William C. Martucci, Russell J. Shankland & John M. Mattox II, Word Travels Fast: Employees Should Think Before Speaking, While Employers Must Be Prudent in Disciplining Employee Speech and Expression, 39:4 Employment Relations Today, Winter 2013, at 59.

Russell J. Shankland, Duress and the Underlying Felony, 99 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 1227 (2009).