Michael L. Russell

Michael L. Russell is a full time mediator and arbitrator. He is frequently called upon to serve as a neutral in employment disputes and complex civil litigation.

Mr. Russell graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee. He received his law degree from the University of Memphis, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a Humphreys Law Fellow. He also holds an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from the University of Missouri. Mr. Russell also teaches at the Belmont University College of Law.

As a mediator, Mr. Russell has successfully mediated almost every type of civil action, from single party employment cases to nation-wide class actions. Because of his background in employment law, he is especially sought after by the labor and employment bar. His mediation experience, however, includes business disputes, law firm dissolutions, personal injury cases, intellectual property matters, and consumer class actions.

Prior to being a full time neutral, Mr. Russell had a national employment law practice. He has litigated cases from New York to California.

Mr. Russell is a sought after speaker and writer. He has published articles in the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, the University of Memphis Law Review, the Ohio Northern University Law Review, the Seton Hall Constitutional Law Journal, and Employee Rights Quarterly. His articles have been cited by courts, scholars, and in testimony before the United States Congress.

Mr. Russell has served on the boards of numerous civic and non-profit organizations, including the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, the UT Alumni Legislative Council, the National Conference of Law Reviews, the TBA Leadership Law Alumni Association, and the TBA Leadership Law Steering Committee. He is an active member of the ABA Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee, and was a co-founder of the Howell Edmunds Jackson American Inn of Court. In his spare time, Mr. Russell enjoys reading, travel, and spending as much time on the tennis court as he can. He and his wife, Heather, live in suburban Nashville. The Russells have two sons, Preston and Carlisle.

• University of Tennessee (B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, 1996)
• University of Memphis (J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 1999)
• University of Missouri (LL.M. in Dispute Resolution, 2022)

• American Bar Association
• Tennessee Bar Association
• Nashville Bar Association (chair, Dispute Resolution Committee)
• AAA Panel of Employment Arbitrators
• AAA Panel of Consumer Arbitrators
• AAA Panel of Employment Mediators
• Fellow, Tennessee Bar Foundation
• Fellow, Nashville Bar Foundation
• Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
• Fellow, American College of Civil Trial Mediators

Standard Rate - $7,000.00 per day.

Class/Collective Action Rate - $10,000 per day.

Out of state and weekend rate - $15,000 per day

Rates include up to three hours of prep, two hours of follow up, and all travel time.  Rates are exclusive of travel expenses and administrative fees.