Miranda Russell

Of Counsel

Miranda Russell joined HWS Law Group as Of Counsel in 2023 and brought with her almost a decade of civil litigation and corporate law experience. Her practice currently focuses on civil litigation in the areas of personal injury, property damage and real estate disputes, including construction defect, security negligence, premises liability and insurance defense litigation. She also has extensive experience handling insurance coverage matters.

Ms. Russell’s secondary practice area focuses on business and corporate law, including general outside counsel advising and contractual disputes.  She has experience in negotiating and drafting a variety of operational/business agreements and contracts and advising on and implementing human resources and personnel policies and procedures.

Over the course of her career, Ms. Russell has worked in both large and small firm settings, first in Southern Maryland as a legal assistant/aid and later, during and after law school, in Baltimore, Maryland.  She also served as an intern clerk for Senior Judge Peter J. Messitte at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division.

Her background as both a litigator and as a corporate lawyer has given her a unique perspective in recognizing the strengths, weakness and potential challenges of any legal matter.  By both temperament and training, Ms. Russell is a problem solver and her approach to the practice of law is collaborative.  She strives to learn about each client’s particular business, interests, and goals and to use that knowledge to provide pragmatic and strategic advice so that her clients can make informed decisions in whatever situation they are facing.   Ms. Russell has successfully resolved numerous cases through summary judgment dismissal, settlement, mediation and trial at state, federal and appellate levels.

With a passion for humanitarian assistance, Ms. Russell strives to provide as much pro bono legal assistance to those in need as she can.  Throughout college and law school, Ms. Russell focused her studies on human rights, public international law, and reconciliation/transitional justice under distinguished academics.  Throughout her legal studies and then her practice, Ms. Russell has provided pro bono legal assistance to asylum seekers from the DRC and Rwanda as well as unaccompanied minors from Latin America before USCIS and immigration court.

Representative Work

• In Gomez-Gonzales, Ms. Russell was part of a three-attorney team that briefed the Appellate Court of Maryland on a gap in the Maryland Pattern Jury Instructions as to the defense of an “open and obvious condition”. Not only did the Honorable Court note such a gap existed, but they specifically noted “[w]e encourage the Standing Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions of the Maryland State Bar Association to address this lack of clarity in MPJI-Cv 24:3.”
• In Amerisafe Ins. Co. t/u/o Miguel A. Esquivel Marroquin v. Pacheco, et al., Russell represented a subrogee in the recovery of a workers’ compensation lien that was awarded in Virginia for an accident that occurred within Maryland, utilizing the unique legal doctrine of “depecage”.

Personal

In her free time, Miranda can more often than not be found outdoors, hiking, camping or backpacking with her husband and rescue dog.  She is also in the process of completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training and looks forward to helping others better their own wellness through regular yoga practice.