For Mary Foil Russell, helping clients meet their complete legal needs with steadfast support is the backbone of the relationships she forms. Across 30 years of diverse legal experience in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia, Mary has guided a range of clientele and can serve their unique challenges. Her goal is to equip clients with the insight that helps them understand their cases, make sound decisions, and come out ahead.
Today, Mary works in the collaborative community of our Christiansburg-based office. She supports clients with legal guidance that includes government contracts, contract litigation, medical malpractice, and more. She also defends local and constitutional officers, providing her with a vast understanding of the specific legal challenges facing local mayors, sheriffs, and other officers. Further, Mary defends civil rights cases and represents the Commonwealth of Virginia in healthcare malpractice cases defending medical providers.
Mary has represented social workers and other state employees in state and federal courts. She also has experience advising state agencies around social services, public health, mental health, Medicaid, and other federal/state assistance programs. As such, Mary’s background in state government transitions translates well into the local and regional clients that she serves at Sands Anderson.
Mary’s background also includes representing business and banking clients in numerous settings. From 1998 until 2017, Mary focused much of her practice on bankruptcy. She served as a Panel Trustee for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases and also worked on behalf of debtors and creditors in foreclosures, reorganizations, and workouts.
Before joining Sands Anderson, she was a member of the Hale, Lyle & Russell Law Firm in Bristol, Tennessee and then the managing partner of Russell Law Firm in Bristol, Virginia. Her firms represented the Washington County Industrial Development Authority and the City of Bristol, Virginia School Board, in addition to serving many business clients.
Mary brings her strengths to the Sands Anderson Christiansburg office where she works with Steve Durbin and Mike Bedsaul to serve local government and Department of Social Services clients. In addition, Mary handles general litigation, specifically in the southwest Virginia region. Mary continues to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in healthcare cases defending medical providers in the prison system in malpractice and civil rights cases and to defend local and constitutional officers in southwest Virginia.
Favorite Book
•To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Professional Highlights
•Served as Assistant Attorney General, State of Georgia
1983 - 1994
•Served as Assistant Division Director for the Health and Human Services Litigation Division, Georgie Attorney General's Office
1990-1994
•Appointed Special Assistant General in cases for the Georgia Department of Human Resources and Department of Medical Assistance
1994-1997
•Served as Panel Trustee for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases in Eastern District of Tennessee
1997-2017
•Taught on the faculty at Emory University School of Law Trial Techniques Program
1991 - 1997
•Served as Law Clerk for Judge Herschel P. Franks, Tennessee Court of Appeals
1982-1983
Publications
News by Mary Foil Russell
•Big Pharma Feels the Pain of Opioid Litigation
News About Mary Foil Russell
•Sands Anderson Local Government Attorneys Awarded LGA Special Projects Award