Brenda Russo, CFLS

Partner, Attorney at Law

Brenda Russo WoolseyBrenda Russo has been in private practice since 1986. She spent the first several years of practice working in civil litigation, including personal injury and product liability cases. The past eighteen years of practice have been devoted to working with families and children. Ms. Russo is a Certified Family Law Specialist, having been certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California in 2001.

Ms. Russo is admitted to practice in all of the courts of the State of California, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, and the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Russo has also participated in both basic and advanced training in the practice of collaborative law, and has participated in extensive mediation training, including an advanced course provided by the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University. Ms. Russo participates in continuing legal education each year in the form of regular participation in seminars provided by the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, the Association of Family Law and Conciliation Courts, and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, among others.

Ms. Russo is currently admitted to practice, and is a member of, the California State Bar Association, the Solano County Bar Association, the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, the Sacramento Collaborative Practice Group, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Ms. Russo has previously served as judge pro tem for the Solano County Superior Court, has participated in the Solano County Bar Association's domestic violence response program; served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Solano County Bar Association; and served as editor of the Solano County Bar Association's newsletter. Ms. Russo has also spent a substantial portion of her career representing children in both family law and dependency matters.

Practicing family law for nearly twenty years, Ms. Russo strongly believes that families and children are best served by mediation rather than litigation. She has found that mediation enables parties to remain in charge of their own goals, resolutions, and agreements, whereas litigation results in orders imposed by the court based on the decisions reached by a judge. In child custody matters in particular, Ms. Russo believes that child custody mediation is a method far more equipped to determine and consider the needs and concerns of the children involved in any divorce or separation, as well as those of the parents. Mediation typically results in a successful agreement between the parties, created through their own efforts and commitment, in a manner that allows them an opportunity to address their respective issues and concerns. It is a strong held belief that child custody disputes are not best resolved by the courts, and that frequently, the anger and contentiousness of litigation causes the conflict between parents to escalate, whereas mediation provides an opportunity to diffuse parental conflict.

Not all cases will settle. When a case requires litigation, Ms. Russo is an experienced and dedicated advocate in court. She has used her extensive expertise and training, creative legal strategy and dedication to her clients to achieve successful resolution at trial for countless clients.

Areas of Practice:

Professional Degrees, Continuing Education and Memberships:

  • Juris Doctorate, John F. Kennedy University, CA, 1986
  • Admitted to State Bar of California, 1986
  • Admitted to United States Supreme Court, 1995
  • Admitted to the Supreme Court of California, 1986
  • Admitted to the United States District Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • Certified Family Law Specialist, certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of CA, 2001
  • Sacramento Collaborative Practice Group
  • International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
  • Solano County Bar Association, 1990
  • California Family Law Report, CFLR Family Law Refresher Course 1996-2004
  • The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, Janet Johnston Seminar, 2001
  • Collaborative Law Practice Training, 1999
  • National Center for Youth Law Training 2000
  • The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, Janet Johnston Seminar, 2001
  • Strauss Institute, Pepperdine University, Mediation Training, 2007
  • Minor's Counsel Training, Sacramento Bar Association, 2008
  • Northern California Mediation Center, Essentials of Mediation & Divorce, 2009
  • SCBA Mediation Workshop, 2011
  • AAML Symposium January 2011
  • ACFLS Advanced Course In Family Law Evidence, 2011
  • AAML Symposium January 2012
  • Collaborative Law Practice Training, Basic and Advanced Programs, 1999
  • 2011AttorneysBriefcase Annual Year-in-Review Family Law Update 2005-2012