Practical Advice – Basics of Representing Consumers in Business Disputes

A pre-recorded streaming VIDEO replay of the December 2023 webcast, Practical Advice – Basics of Representing Consumers in Business Disputes.

This course offers insights into consumer protection laws, negotiation techniques, dispute resolution avenues, and ethical considerations tailored to the intricacies of advocating for individuals in Virginia. Whether you’re a legal professional seeking to expand your expertise or a newcomer eager to grasp the essentials, join us to gain a solid foundation in effectively representing consumers and ensuring their interests are safeguarded in the face of business disputes.

• Uncover the art of championing consumer rights in the realm of small business disputes through our concise Continuing Legal Education class.
• Delve into the core principles and strategies crucial for adeptly navigating and resolving conflicts between consumers and small businesses.

Faculty

Bruce H. Russell, II, Bruce H. Russell, II, P.C. / Lebanon

Bruce H. Russell, II has practiced law for over twenty years, mainly in the courts of his native Southwest Virginia.  In that time, he has been a prosecutor, law professor, member of a small firm, and solo practitioner, and is proud of his service to his Commonwealth and community in each of these roles.  Currently, Bruce has a large and diverse general practice, and represents both individuals and businesses in numerous matters, from business formation to contract disputes and beyond. In recognition of his extensive and continuing service to the bench, bar, and public, Bruce was named the 2023 Virginia State Bar Local Bar Leader of the Year.

Bruce graduated from Richlands High School, The University of Virginia (where he served on the Honor Committee and its Executive Committee as Chairman of the Bad Check Committee), and the University of Richmond’s T.C. Williams School of Law.  He began his legal career in Charlottesville at the turn of the century with the boutique firm of Thompson & Hagy, focusing on representing small high-tech companies, primarily start-ups.  

He soon returned to the hills of his youth in Southwest Virginia pursuing an opportunity to join the Buchanan County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office as that office’s only full-time assistant.  While there, he prosecuted everything from murder to the theft of fighting roosters.  Shortly after arriving in Grundy, the Appalachian School of Law brought him onboard as an adjunct faculty member at the then-fledgling school.  Returning to private practice in 2003, Bruce joined the law firm of Bolling & Hearl (eventually Bolling Hearl Russell), working out of Abingdon and Richlands, plus parts in-between.  Bruce established his own firm in 2009, sharing space in Lebanon with the Hall-of-Fame attorney Steve Quillen.

Currently, Bruce serves as President of the Russell County Bar, the 28th Circuit Criminal Defense Bar, and the Patrick Henry American Inn of Court.  He is also Chairman of the Southwest Virginia Law Foundation, and serves on the Board of Southwest Virginia Legal Aid.  He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Council, as well as that body’s Executive Committee.  Additionally, he serves on the VSB Special Committee on Bench-Bar Relations, and is a faculty member of the Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course.   He is a member of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Bruce has been named a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation, and a Virginia Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law.  He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.

He has been happily married to Shannon, a public school special education teacher, since 2007.  They live in Abingdon with their two sons, Clark (15) and Eamon (11), plus canine companions Huckleberry, Tiger Lily, Finn (long-haired miniature dachshunds), and Luna (a goldendoodle).