Allison Russell

Allison spent her formative years in Lexington, Kentucky. She completed her undergraduate studies in 2003 by obtaining a BFA in Theatre at De Paul University in Chicago, Illinois. Afterward, she moved to Louisville to attend the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law and received her J.D. in 2006. In law school, Allison competed on both the state and national mock trial teams.

In 2006, Allison was licensed to practice law in Kentucky. Her law career has spanned several different practice areas. She served as a Staff Attorney to a Circuit Court Judge, worked at a large firm on the Domestic Relations Team, and now is a managing Partner at Simms Russell.

Allison exclusively practices in the field of Family Law. She is most passionate about Family Law appeals and has built an extensive appellate practice. Since obtaining her license, Allison has served as counsel of record in 4 published cases and numerous unpublished cases. Most notably, Allison was counsel in the leading Supreme Court case on grandparent visitation in Kentucky. She was co-counsel in the leading Supreme Court case on attorney's fees in custody and divorce cases.

A list of her noteworthy cases include:

Walker v. Blair, 382 S.W.3d 862 (Ky. 2012), wherein Allison successfully argued that an award of grandparent visitation should be reversed due to violating her client's constitutional parental rights

Doane v. Gordon, 421 S.W.3d 407 (Ky. App. 2014), wherein the Court of Appeals agreed with Allison's position that a parent who has lost physical custody of their child does not have standing in grandparent visitation matters

Smith v. McGill, 556 S.W.3d 552 (Ky. 2018), wherein the Supreme Court of Kentucky reversed a line of cases holding that a trial court must find a discrepancy of income before awarding one party attorney's fees

Greene v. Boyd, 603 S.W.3d 231 (Ky. 2020), wherein the Supreme Court provided much needed clarification between the role of a Guardian Ad Litem and a Friend of Court to avoid violating the Kentucky Rules of Evidence