Russell Lorfing
About
Attorney Russell Lorfing
Serving Clients in Abilene, San Angelo, Lubbock, & Amarillo
Attorney Russell Lorfing serves clients in criminal defense and personal injury cases in West Texas. He is a former state and federal prosecutor with a background in both civil and criminal law.
Russell is the only former Assistant United States Attorney practicing criminal defense in the greater Abilene area and one of only three former federal prosecutors practicing in West Texas. He has vast experience in state and federal criminal law while understanding the struggles of those caught up in the criminal justice system. He provides comprehensive service to such clients that includes not only legal representation but self-improvement programs designed to give them the skills to forge a better life.
Russell has handled hundreds of cases and tried dozens of them as lead counsel in complex jury trials. He has intensive knowledge in electronic evidence and the Electronic Communication Privacy Act. In 2017, he was designated as a Cyber Hacking Intellectual Property Prosecutor and oversaw cyber investigations throughout West Texas. He has been recognized nationally for his work on white collar investigations as well as by the FBI for his prosecutorial accomplishments and years of service serving the American people.
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Education
Russell is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary's School of Law. In law school, Russell was elected by his peers to serve as class president. He studied comparative law in Buenos Aires, Argentina and graduated in 2009 with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence with an emphasis in criminal law.
Career Experience
After law school, Russell clerked for the Honorable Barbara P. Hervey at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the highest criminal court in the State of Texas.
After finishing clerkship, Russell worked overseas as a felony prosecutor where he concentrated on white collar prosecutions. He quickly became a rising star and was promoted through the ranks, eventually being offered the position of Criminal Chief.
After trying dozens of cases at the state level, Russell was hired as a federal prosecutor at the United States Department of Justice. He quickly earned a reputation for being an aggressive prosecutor with an unmatched work ethic. He routinely worked late into the night on his cases and worked closely with federal agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, and HSI.
As an Assistant United States Attorney, Russell prosecuted a myriad of cases, including violent crime and large-scale drug organizations. Over the years however, Russell was entrusted to handle and prosecute some of the most complex cases in the State of Texas. These complex investigations included wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, domestic terrorism, health care fraud, and various violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.
Bar Admissions & Licenses
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States District Court
- Northern District of Texas
- Western District of Texas
- Southern District of Texas
- State of Texas
- Washington D.C.
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Memberships
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President, National Association of Former Assistant United States Attorneys (NAFAUSA)
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Big Country Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association
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Lubbock County Defense Attorney Association
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Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association
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Abilene Bar Association
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Lubbock Bar Association
Speaking Events, Lectures, and Training
Due to his extensive experience, Russell was frequently asked to give lectures for various law enforcement agencies and organizations, including the FBI, IRS, DEA, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Russell is also considered by the Department of Justice to be an expert on the admissibility of electronic evidence and was asked by the United States Attorney in the Northern District of Texas to provide training on this issue to federal prosecutors in Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Abilene, and Amarillo.
Since leaving the Department of Justice, Russell has partnered with the former head of the FBI in West Texas and former chief of police in Lubbock to continue offering top-notch training on complex legal and trial issues.
Example of Past Speaking Engagements:
- Why Meta Matters, 2020: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children law enforcement training - 2 hours - guest lecture
- Get Rich Quick: A Banker's Guide to Money Laundering, 2019: West Texas Banker's Working Group quarterly meeting - 45 minutes - guest lecture
- Digital Sex Crimes in the Age of Millennials: Cyber Stalking, Sextortion, and Revenge Porn, 2019: Monthly Luncheon - 20 minutes - guest lecture
- You Never Saw it Coming: Identity Theft and the Dark Web, 2019: Annual Meeting- 60 minutes - guest lecture
- The New and Improved Search Warrant for the Digital World, 2019: Annual CLE - 60 minute presentation - guest lecture
Your Connection To Your Case 3 Things You'll Get With Keith & Lorfing
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Super Lawyers - 2024
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Avvo Client's Choice 2023
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Google 5-Stars
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Avvo 10.0
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Avvo Clients' Choice
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National Trial Lawyer Top 100 Attorney
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Chief's Excellence Award from the Internal Revenue Service, 2015Russell was recognized nationally for his work on white-collar investigations.
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Customs & Border Protection Award, 2016Russell was recognized for his prosecutorial accomplishment, this time by his work on a white-collar investigation involving the port of Saipan.
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Cyber Hacking Intellectual Property (CHIP) Designation, 2017Russell was designated as the CHIP prosecutor and asked to oversee cyber investigations throughout West Texas. He has appeared in federal courts in Amarillo, Abilene, San Angelo, Lubbock, and Fort Worth.
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Federal Bureau of Investigation Award, 2020Russell was again recognized for his prosecutorial accomplishments and years of service working on behalf of the American people.
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National Association of Former Assistant US Attorneys
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Texas Criminal Defense Association
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State Bar of Texas
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Christian Legal Society
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Abilene Criminal Defense Association
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Lubbock Criminal Defense Association
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DOJ
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FBI
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DEA
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ATF
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Homeland Security
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Best Criminal Defense - Abilene 2021
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BBB A+ Rating - 2021
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Google 5-Stars
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Avvo 10.0
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Avvo Clients' Choice
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Top 100 Trial Lawyers
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DOJ
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10 Best 2021 Attorney Client Satisfaction