Dylan B. Russell
Partner
Areas of Practice:
Bar Admissions:
- Texas 2003
Dylan B. Russell is a trial and appellate attorney who has focused his practice in the area of general commercial litigation and appeals. Mr. Russell has over eight years of experience handling numerous state and federal courts cases and arbitrations. He has handled cases involving the following areas: real estate issues including boundary line disputes, implied reciprocal negative easements, and deed restrictions, commercial and residential construction disputes including faulty concrete construction and water drainage issues, employer-employee relations including race discrimination, covenants not to compete, theft of trade secrets, unemployment claims, and FLSA overtime claims, corporate disputes including shareholder oppression and ownership of intellectual property, landlord-tenant disputes, and numerous matters against federal and state governmental entities including a federal agency, cities, municipal utility districts, and a metropolitan transit authority concerning various issues such as discriminatory water rates, inverse condemnation, access easements, election contest, and breach of contract claims, among others.
Representative Experience Accomplishments:
- Won jury trial as first chair, recovering real estate agent bonus from national home builder.
- Won two district court trials as first chair, one to a jury and the other to the bench, where judgment was in favor of commercial landlord client.
- Successfully argued a certified question to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality where the Commissioners interpreted the Texas Water Code to prevent water districts from arbitrarily contravening the rights of ratepayers to appeal discriminatory water rates.
- Won district court trial as first chair where court found municipal utility district water rates charged to apartment community owner were illegal and arbitrary.
- As lead counsel, settled breach of escrow agreement case against United States agency where client received over $1.9 million of disputed funds.
- Briefed appeal where the court of appeals reversed trial court award of past-due commercial lease rent and rendered for the full amount sought at trial: MCN Spring Shadows, L.P. v. Kearney, L.L.C., 2011 Tex. App. LEXIS 8075 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] Oct. 11, 2011, no pet.).
- Briefed appeal where the court of appeals reversed and remanded the trial court’s granting of a plea to the jurisdiction of a water rate claim: Tara Partners, Ltd. v. City of South Houston, 282 S.W.3d 564 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2009, pet. denied).
- As lead counsel, briefed and argued appeal affirming money judgment for misapplied bank loan funds: Doss v. Homecomings Fin. Network, Inc., 210 S.W.3d 706 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2006, pet. denied).
- As lead counsel, briefed and argued appeal reversing default judgment for trespass to try title claim and remanding case to trial court: Henry v. Fest, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 2852 (Tex. App.—Waco, Apr. 13, 2005, no pet.).
Pro Bono and Civic Activities:
- Fort Bend YMCA Soccer Coach, 2009-2011
- Lakes of Brightwater Home Owner’s Association
Board Member, At-Large Position - United States Running Streak Association, Inc.,
Associate Member, streak started March 20, 2011
Past Employment and Professional Positions:
- Intern for Judge Marcia Crone, U.S. Magistrate Court, Southern District of Texas, 2002
- Intern for Justices John Anderson, Kem Frost, and Don Wittig, Fourteenth Court of Appeals, 2001
- Professional Musician and Saxophonist, 1996 - 2000, performing with bands such as Duck Soup, Mr. Fabulous & Casino Royale, The Sharp 5 Jazz Quintet, Rocket 69, and the Elision Saxophone Quartet.
