Associate

916-245-8677 phone

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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)
• 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
• 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