

Associate
916-245-8677 phone
PRACTICE AREAS
Ms. Covert Russell is an associate attorney in the firm's Northern California office. She represents school districts and county offices of education on a variety of matters, including facilities and finance, student issues and district governance.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE
Ms. Covert Russell provides general education support and legal guidance to clients on a variety of matters in the following areas:
- Real property and facilities issues, including school finance and construction, leases and public contract negotiations, and charter school Proposition 39 facilities
- Special education
- Student issues, including discipline and First Amendment rights
- Employee discipline and termination
- General governance issues, including the Brown Act, conflicts of interest and Public Records Act
- School district reorganization
BAR ADMISSIONS
- State Bar of California
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
- Member, California Council of School Attorneys
- Member, Sacramento County Bar Association
- Member, California State Bar Association
- Mentor, McClatchy High School's Law & Public Policy Academy (L&PPA) (2012-present)
- Sacramento Business Journal, Best of the Bar, 2015
- Co-Vice-Chair of Newsletter, Women Lawyers of Sacramento (Vice-Chair of Newsletter 2014/2015; Co-Chair of Grants and Awards 2013/2014; Vice-Chair of Grants and Awards 2012/2013; Vice Chair of Programs 2011/2012)
- Member, Advisory Committee, McClatchy High School's L&PPA (2013-2014)
- Former Affiliate Governor, California Women Lawyers (2013-2014)
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Publications
- Author, “Public Employee Privacy Rights: When is an Employee's Workplace his Castle,” SCBA Labor & Employment Law Section Newsletter, Vol. 19, Issue 1, October 2012
- Author, “Title IX: Winning the Gold in 2012,” SSDA Newsletter, September-October 2012
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Speaking Engagements regarding facilities; student issues, including bullying and constitutional rights; charter schools; Title IX; and document retention
- California School Boards Association (CSBA)
- California Council of School Attorneys (CCSA)
- California Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH)
- UC Davis School of Education
EDUCATION
- Juris Doctor, University of California, Hastings College of Law, 2010
- Recipient, Outstanding Award in Pro Bono
- Senior Articles Editor, Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal
- Member, National Moot Court Team, Regional Winner and Regional Best Brief
- Member, Whittier Juvenile Law Moot Court Team, National Semi-finalist
- Member, Moot Court Board
- Teaching Assistant, Appellate Advocacy, Moot Court and Legal Writing/Research classes
- Bachelor of Science, Human Development, University of California Davis, 2006
- Graduated with High Honors
- Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology Major, Psychology Minor, University of California, Davis, 2006
- Education Abroad Program, Leiden University, Netherlands
- University of California, Washington D.C. Center