Russell Austin has extensive experience in real estate and business law. He has planned, negotiated and documented a complete array of real property transactions and supporting documentation, including purchase and sale transactions, exchanges, syndications and development of partnerships, and a wide variety of financing transactions and conservation transactions. Russell also has substantial experience in several aspects of real estate litigation, including complex foreclosure actions, property tax appeals and broker litigation. He is listed in the 2000 through 2009 Editions of The Best Lawyers in America as one of the Sacramento area's outstanding real estate attorneys and from 2005 through 2009, has been listed as a Super Lawyer in Northern California Super Lawyers®. Russell has been a Lecturer at King Hall School of Law at the University of California (Davis), teaching Real Estate Finance, has served as an Adjunct Professor in the graduate tax program at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, and was an Instructor at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Russell was a contributing editor for Real Estate Purchase and Sale Transactions and Organizing Corporations in California, both published by the California Continuing Education of the Bar. He has been a frequent panel speaker and moderator at continuing education seminars on real estate law. Russell has been active in a number of community organizations and currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Crocker Art Museum Association and the Sacramento Valley Conservancy. He was recognized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce as its “Volunteer of the Year” for 2001. Russell has also been active in the Sacramento County Bar Association, has served as Chair of the Voluntary Legal Services Program and President of Legal Services of Northern California. In 1992, Russell received a President's Pro Bono Service award from the California State Bar and, in 1993, he received a Pro Bono Publico award from the American Bar Association. In 1994, Russell was recognized by the Sacramento County Bar Association as its Humanitarian of the Year. Upon graduation from law school in 1980, Russell joined the San Francisco firm of Marron Reid, LLP and in 1982 helped open its Sacramento office. In 1998, Russell joined the Sacramento firm of Diepenbrock, Wulff, Plant & Hannegan, LLP as Chair of its Business and Real Estate Department. From 1999 through 2001, and from 2005 through 2007, Russell served as Managing Partner of Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP. Russell received his B.A. with highest honors from the University of California Santa Barbara, his J.D. from University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif.