About Amber Russell
A mediator who has sat on both sides of the table.
Nearly two decades of Texas civil litigation — first defending institutions, then representing injured people — is why parties on both sides trust Amber Russell to be candid with them about risk, and why cases that should settle in her room do.
Why I mediate
Most cases that go to trial should have settled. The usual reason they didn’t is that nobody in the room had credibility with both sides.
I spent the first part of my career at Baker Botts defending large institutional clients. I learned how corporate defendants and their insurers actually evaluate a claim: how they set reserves, what moves a number, which facts they discount, and how they prepare for trial. Then I switched sides and spent years representing seriously injured people and grieving families — trucking crashes, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death — and learned what it costs a plaintiff, in money and in years, to hold out for a verdict.
Mediation is where those two educations meet. When I tell a defense adjuster the exposure is real, it lands, because I have written the reserve memo. When I tell a plaintiff the jury risk is real, it lands, because I have stood in front of that jury. That credibility is the whole job. Everything else is preparation and stamina.
I opened Amber Russell ADR because I wanted to spend more of my professional life resolving disputes than prolonging them, and because I think the parties — not the process — should decide how a case ends.
How I work
1
Prepared, not improvised
I read every confidential statement and exhibit before the session and arrive with the questions that will decide the case. Counsel should expect me to have the file cold.
2
Facilitative by default, evaluative on request
My job is to help each side see its own case clearly. When counsel asks for my view of the range or the trial risk, I give it directly and explain the basis.
3
Neutral in fact, not just in name
I do not carry a plaintiff’s or a defendant’s thumb on the scale. Any prior relationship with a party, firm, or carrier is disclosed before the session is confirmed.
4
Respectful of the people in the room
Injured people, business owners, and adjusters all have something at stake. A session that treats them as a number does not settle. One that treats them as adults usually does.
5
Built to close
Brackets, timing, and movement are planned before opening. If we settle, terms are documented before anyone signs off Zoom. If we do not, everyone leaves with concrete next steps.
6
Transparent on fees and availability
Flat half-day and full-day rates, published. Response within one business day; dates confirmed after conflict screening and party agreement. No surprises after the invoice.
Background
B.A., The University of Texas at Austin. J.D. with distinguished honors, The University of Texas School of Law — Order of the Coif, top ten percent of the class. Licensed in Texas since 2006.
Began at Baker Botts LLP defending energy, manufacturing, and other institutional clients in civil and administrative litigation. Subsequently represented hundreds of individual plaintiffs in serious injury and wrongful death matters, including trucking and commercial-vehicle litigation, catastrophic injury, premises, and complex-evidence cases. She continues to practice as founder of a woman-owned Austin trial firm.
Matters I mediate
- Personal injury and wrongful death — auto, trucking, premises, product
- Catastrophic injury with life-care and future-damages disputes
- Commercial and contract disputes
- Multi-party and insurance-coverage-driven matters
- Statewide, by Zoom; in-person in Austin by arrangement
Standing in the profession
Recognition
Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers (Rising Star 2013–2022; Super Lawyer 2022–2026), Martindale-Hubbell peer recognition, Austin Monthly Top Attorney, and honors from the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association. Serves on boards of mentoring associations for women attorneys in Austin and Dallas.
Community
Amber and her husband founded SOAR, a scholarship and mentoring program for young women who are the first in their families to pursue higher education or who have overcome significant challenges. The same conviction drives her mediation practice: talent and good faith are everywhere, but opportunity and a fair hearing are not.
Request a mediation date
Email the case style, parties and counsel, preferred dates, and a one-paragraph issue summary. You will hear back within one business day.
Looking for a plain-language summary of who Amber Russell ADR is, what it does and how to reach it? See Company Facts & Information.