A. Russell Brown

Russell was born and raised in Jackson County, Tennessee. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis (then Memphis State University) in 1980. He graduated in 1983 from the Cecil C. Humphries Law School in Memphis, Tennessee with his Juris Doctorate degree in law. While in law school he received two Am Jur awards for the highest score in his class.

After graduating from law school, he moved back to Middle Tennessee where he began his law practice on the town square. He has maintained an office on the square since that time. From 1990 until 1995, he was a part-time District Public Defender covering three counties in the 15th Judicial District. He prides himself as a trial lawyer, having tried over 50 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials. These trials have been throughout the Middle Tennessee area in both state and federal court. He now focuses his practice on estate planning, personal injury, real estate, and select civil and criminal cases.

In 1997 he purchased an adjoining building on the square and formed Benchmark Title Company, which is solely devoted to real estate matters. The Benchmark building and his law office are two of the buildings that he has refurbished around the square. He has a third building in the process of being restored.

Over the last thirty years he has been active in local civic and community affairs. He is past President of the Macon County Chamber of Commerce and the Lafayette Rotary Club. He serves on numerous committees, including the Lafayette Winding Stairs Park, where he recently helped design and construct the hiking trails. He was instrumental in designing and overseeing the 5K races and the long distance bicycle tours for the Makin Macon Fit festival. He is a deacon at the Lafayette Church of Christ where he has been a member since he came to Lafayette.

A great lover of the outdoors, he enjoys hiking, bicycling, and climbing mountains. He has summited many of Colorado’s highest peaks. His most recent expedition was in 2015 where he summited the 19,300 foot Cotopaxi Volcano in Ecuador, South America. He has a passion for flying and holds a private pilot’s license. He owns his own plane that allows him to quickly visit his two daughters, Mary and Nora, and his three grandsons who all live in Columbia, South Carolina.

Delta Theta Phi. Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Damages, Bills and Notes. Assistant Public Defender, 15th Judicial District, Tennessee, 1990-1995.