Mr. Russell David Willard

State Bar of Georgia

On July 1, 2024, Russell Willard joined the State Bar of Georgia as General Counsel Designate. On February 1, 2025, he became General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia, a unified bar organization with more than 54,000 members. As General Counsel, he serves as legal counsel to the State Bar, and his ten lawyer office also handles lawyer disciplinary matters for the State Bar.

Prior to joining the State Bar, Russell served for twenty-three years in the Georgia Office of the Attorney General. He began his service as Communications Director overseeing the communications and policy initiatives for the Attorney General, and then moved to a litigation position in the office, ultimately becoming Section Chief for the group in the office that handled legal matters for the state’s education agencies, including the Department of Education, the Board of Regents, and the Technical College System, the state’s election entities, including the Secretary of State and the State Election Board, the Georgia Public Defender Council, and the state’s Judicial Branch. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Russell served for three years as Counsel for the House Majority Caucus in the Georgia General Assembly.

A lifelong Georgian, Russell received his undergraduate degree with honors in 1993 from the University of Georgia and went on to receive his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1996.