Cristine M. Russell

SHAREHOLDER

Professional Experience / Bio

Cristine is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as an Appellate Specialist and practices in both federal and state courts at the trial and appellate court level.  For over ten years, she has served as Rogers Towers’ primary appellate lawyer, handling the majority of the firm’s diverse range of appellate matters.  Her areas of practice include commercial litigation, First Amendment law, and land use litigation.  She is also experienced in matters involving legal ethics and professional responsibility.

She began her career at Rogers Towers in September of 2000, where she has been a shareholder since 2006, focusing on the development of an appellate practice since 2003.

From 2007-2013, Cristine served on the Appellate Court Rules Committee for The Florida Bar, where she chaired the Administrative Law Practice subcommittee from 2011-2013.  She has also served as the chair of the Appellate Law Committee for the Jacksonville Bar (2015) and was a charter member of the First District Court of Appeal Inn of Court.  Additionally, Cristine was a Barrister in the Inn from 2008-2011 and has been a Master since 2016.  She has moderated various panel discussions with appellate lawyers and judges, including the 13th Annual Raymond Ehrlich Trial Advocacy Seminar (2015, Jacksonville, Florida), the “Practicing Before the First District Court of Appeal” Seminar (2015, Tallahassee, Florida), and “Sidebar Lunch with the First District Court of Appeal”(2015, Jacksonville, Florida).

Education

  • Davidson College, B.A. cum laude, 1995
  • University of Florida College of Law, J.D. with honors, 1998

Awards & Distinctions

  • AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
  • Florida Trend Magazine, “Legal Elite Up & Comer,” 2005
  • Florida Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star” (General Litigation), 2009; (Appellate), 2013
  • Florida Super Lawyers® (Appellate Practice), 2015-2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation), 2013-2024
  • Best Lawyers® Jacksonville Appellate Practice “Lawyer of the Year,” 2020
  • Order of the Coif
  • Recipient, Book Awards in Trial Practice and Jurisprudence
  • Presenter, JBA, Young Lawyer’s Section, Mock Oral Argument Before the Fifth District Court of Appeal (February 2024)

Bar Association Membership

  • The Florida Bar
  • The Federal Bar Association, Jacksonville Section
  • The Jacksonville Bar Association

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Courts, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, Sixth Circuit, Ninth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit
  • The Supreme Court of the United States

Legal Certifications

  • Board Certified in Appellate Practice, The Florida Bar

Professional & Community Involvement

  • Member, The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Certficiation Committee, July 2022-Present
  • Member, The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee, July 2007-2013
    • Chair, Administrative Law Practice Subcommittee, July 2011 June 2013
  • Member, Appellate Law Committee, The Jacksonville Bar Association
    • Vice-Chair, 2013-2014
    • Chair, 2014-2015
  • Charter Member (Barrister), First District Court of Appeal Inns of Court, 2008-2011
  • Catholic Lawyer’s Guild, Duval County
    • Secretary, 2009-2010
    • Vice President, 2010-2011
    • President, 2011-2012
  • Fourth Circuit Pro Bono Committee, 2007-2013
  • Member, Local Rules Committee, United States District Court, Middle District of Florida. 2010 – 2012

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

  • Author: “Should Florida Be a ‘Courthouse for the World’? The Florida Doctrine of Forum Non Conveniens and Foreign Plaintiffs.” Florida Journal of International Law, 10 FJIL 353, Summer-Fall 1995.
  • 13th Annual Raymond Ehrlich Trial Advocacy Seminar—The Jacksonville Bar Association, Moderator, February,11, 2015.
  • Practicing Before the First District Court of Appeal, Moderator, April,10, 2015.
  • Sidebar Lunch with the First District Court of Appeal—The Jacksonville Bar Association, Moderator, July 28, 2015.