Ms. Russell began her legal career working as an Estate and Gift Tax Attorney for the Internal Revenue Service in New York City, where she audited federal estate tax, gift tax, and fiduciary income tax returns. She continued her practice of law in the private sector on Long Island while working at law firms in Smithtown, Melville, Sayville, and Garden City, concentrating in the areas of estate administration and probate, estate planning, and real estate. She has lectured on the topic of estate and gift taxation for the Suffolk Academy of Law.

Ms. Russell graduated from St. John’s University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree. She earned an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, in mathematics from St. John’s University and was elected to Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society.