LANCASTER, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended Andrew Edward Russ, an attorney from Lancaster, for two years, with one year stayed, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Records show the court found Russ to have violated four professional conduct rules, including making sexual advances toward a vulnerable client and failing to attend hearings on behalf of ten other clients.
Russ was appointed by the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, to represent a vulnerable client in a child abuse case. According to court filings, Russ communicated with the client by text message and offered her a job in his law office. He then allegedly started soliciting a sexual relationship with her, offering to be a father figure and saying that he would treat her the way she should be treated. The texts became more explicit over time, with Russ reportedly saying that he wanted a young girlfriend and asking her to be his woman.
When the client became uncomfortable with the messages, she told the guardian ad litem assigned to her case, who filed a grievance against Russ. Following a hearing before a panel of the Board of Professional Conduct, Russ was recommended to be suspended from practicing law for two years, with one year conditionally stayed, and certain conditions placed on his reinstatement.
Russ’s reinstatement is subject to several conditions, including compliance with his OLAP contract, completion of additional legal education, and obtaining an opinion from a qualified healthcare professional stating that he is capable of working professionally and ethically with female clients. Until he obtains such an opinion, he is required to decline any court-appointed representation of female clients. The costs of the proceedings are to be borne by Russ.
The Ohio Supreme Court has adopted the board’s findings of misconduct and recommended sanction.
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