Kathryn P. Russell
About
Attorney Kathryn (Katie) P. Russell is a Partner at Brown Immigration Law and is an experienced practitioner in U.S. immigration matters, including employment-based immigration, removal defense, family-based immigration, and complex naturalization.
Katie is licensed to practice in the state of Ohio and received her Juris Doctorate cum laude from Cleveland State University College of Law. After graduating magna cum laude from John Carroll University with a B.A. in History (Latin American Studies Concentration) and Spanish, Katie joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As a Jesuit Volunteer, Katie served as a Refugee Case Manager at YMCA International Services and provided legal advocacy and resettlement services to refugees and victims of human trafficking through the YMCA’s legal department. Katie is fluent in Spanish and has studied internationally at the Universidad Centroamericana with the Casa de la Solidaridad Program service-learning program in El Salvador and at the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru.
Katie joined Brown Immigration Law in 2009 and has deepened her understanding of immigration law while growing along with the firm. Her international experience and early humanitarian work provided an invaluable perspective that continues to shape her practice, as she incorporates her clients’ unique stories and experiences when developing creative and effective legal strategies. In recognition of her work, Katie has been named to Super Lawyer’s Ohio Rising Stars® list in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and has been recognized by Best Lawyers® since 2019.
Licenses
- Supreme Court of Ohio
U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio
Employment History
- Brown Immigration Law, Partner
- United States Federal District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Judicial Extern for the Honorable Judge Donald C. Nugent
- United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, Law Clerk
- YMCA International Services, Case Manager for Refugee and Human Trafficking Resettlement Cases
Education History
- Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, OH
- J.D. Cum Laude Honors: CALI Award for Excellence in Contracts, Juvenile Law, Computers and Law: Criminal, and Employment Law
- John Carroll University, University Heights, OH
- B.A. History: Latin American Studies Concentration, Spanish; Magna Cum Laude Honors: Alpha Sigma Nu, Jesuit Honors Society
- Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, San Salvador, El Salvador, Casa de la Solidaridad Program – Spring 2006
- Universidad del Pacífico, Lima, Perú, Spanish Language Certification – Summer 2007
Languages
- English
- Spanish
- French
Memberships
- Executive Committee, The Lawyers Guild of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
- Associate, William K. Thomas American Inn of Court
- Former Board of Trustees Member, Inter-Religious Task Force on Central America
- Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Member, Cleveland Marshall Law Alumni Association
- Member, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- Member, Federal Bar Association
- Member, Irish American Law Society of Cleveland
- Member, JCU WMN: Women’s Mentoring Program
- Member, Westshore Bar Association
Honors
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024)
- AVVO Top Rated Lawyer
- Best Lawyers® in America
- ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in Labor & Employment Law
- Frank L. Bartak Memorial Fund Award for Outstanding Student in Contracts
- CALI Award for Excellence in Contracts
- CALI Award for Excellence in Juvenile Law
- CALI Award for Excellence in Computers and Law: Criminal
- CALI Award for Excellence in Employment Law
Notable Media & Thought Leadership
Interviews
Recent Speaking Engagements
- Case Western Reserve University, CWRU “H-1B Workshop: Immigration Information and Options” in cooperation with Global Cleveland. February 27, 2024.
- Magnificat High School, “U.S. Immigration Law and Border Policies.” February 13, 2024.
- Case Western Reserve University, CWRU “H-1B Workshop: Immigration Information and Options” in cooperation with Global Cleveland. February 22, 2023.
- Blue Streak Barristers, Magnificat High School, “Immigration 101: The Basics on Family, Employment, and Removal Defense.” October 22, 2022.
- Lawyer Monthly “U.S. Immigration Law: Tackling Controversy.”
- Ignatian Solidarity Network, “U.S. Immigration Law and Policy.”
