Russell Dempsey

When Russ Dempsey was a kid, he wanted to be in law enforcement. He went to law school in hopes of becoming an FBI agent.

“I guess I never grew out of it,” he said.

Russ attended the University of Central Missouri. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology before attending Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kansas, where he graduated with honors in 2002.

While working at the law clinic at Washburn, Russ found he enjoyed being in the courtroom. His dreams of being in law enforcement changed a little.

After graduation, Russ worked in the Traffic Division of the Greene County Prosecutor’s office, primarily handling DWI cases, before being appointed Prosecutor and Assistant City Attorney for the City of Branson.

In January 2005, Russ returned to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office in the Person’s Division. His focus shifted from DWI and traffic law offenses to serious violent crimes against women and children. In January 2011, after six years of prosecuting complex domestic assaults, child sexual abuse, and adult rape cases, Russ was promoted to head of the Major Crimes Division. He managed other attorneys in the division and carried a caseload that included felony drug possession, drug manufacturing/distribution, burglaries, robberies, serious assaults, and homicides.

In addition to his other duties, Russ was a POST-certified instructor at the Springfield Police Academy, where he taught new police officers criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law, search and seizure law, and other legal topics.

In 2013, the Missouri Bar Association recognized Russ’s extensive jury and bench trial experiences by naming him Missouri’s 2013 recipient of the Lon O. Hocker Trial Advocacy Award.

In his 10-plus years with the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, he handled hundreds of bench trials and jury trials. Russ has successfully tried cases involving nearly every crime under Missouri law, from speeding tickets and DWI to first-degree murder.

After working with founding partner Matthew Russell, Russ became a partner at MRD Lawyers. The two former prosecutors saw they often prosecuted good people who found themselves in bad situations. Russ became a defense attorney to help.

“Anyone can have a legal issue (like a DWI) and need a lawyer,” he said.

At MRD Lawyers, Russ specializes in handling cases at the federal level.

E-mail – RDempsey@mrdlawyers.com