Previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky
After serving as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Western District of Kentucky, Russell Coleman returns to Frost Brown Todd (FBT). Coleman originally practiced at FBT from 2015 to 2017 before the president nominated him as United States Attorney. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment. Coleman’s work at FBT will focus on government and internal investigations, assisting companies and individuals with compliance and navigating interaction with law enforcement, investigative, and regulatory agencies. He will also serve as a principal with FBT’s bipartisan, public affairs subsidiary, CivicPoint, helping clients advance their public policy goals in federal and state capitals.
“I could not be more grateful to return to my law firm home of Frost Brown Todd,” said Coleman. “FBT is a special place with a rare combination of superb legal talent and a storied history of leadership to improve the communities it serves.”
During his time as U.S. Attorney, Coleman focused on the challenging issues of violence and drug trafficking affecting Kentucky, from the state’s urban neighborhoods to its rural counties. He led collaborative efforts to reduce historic levels of violence more equitably in Louisville through the adoption of the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) approach of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Coleman worked closely with law enforcement, businesses, and community leaders across the state to better protect the Commonwealth, visiting all 53 counties of his district to forge stronger relationships.
Coleman also opened the first-ever Bowling Green Branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to serve the growing area of the Commonwealth and increased staffing of the Paducah Branch Office to better serve the Purchase Region. During his time as the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, he led efforts to aggressively tackle numerous emerging types of fraud associated with the U.S. Government’s efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, Coleman was appointed to serve on a working group of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, tasked with making recommendations on improving police recruitment and training. He was selected as vice chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee for Law Enforcement Relations and served as a member of its Heroin and Opiate Working Group, which sought to mitigate the threat of drug overdose deaths from illegal opiates.
“We followed Russell’s work as U.S. Attorney and couldn’t have been prouder to call him an alum of FBT. It is an honor to have him bring that depth of experience and breadth of relationships back to the firm,” said FBT Chairman Robert Sartin. “Russell will be an integral part of our growth.”
A native of rural Western Kentucky and graduate of the University of Kentucky and its College of Law, Coleman is a former Legal Counsel and Senior Advisor to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. He previously served as an FBI Special Agent in multiple domestic assignments and volunteered in 2007 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in Anbar Province, Iraq. During his previous employment at FBT, he volunteered as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Oldham County, KY.