Russ Brown Shares Why He Serves His Community
June 24, 2024 by Brown Fox
Advocates for Community Transformation (Act) is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Brown Fox has partnered with Act since 2010, the year the firm was founded, through pro bono service and financial support. The following is reprinted with permission from Act’s 15th Anniversary Annual Report, a celebration of Act’s partners through the years. Click here to read the complete Annual Report and here to learn more about Act.
In order for Act to have successful relationships with our partner firms, there must be attorneys deeply committed to this work at every level in the firm — from first years associates digging deep into discovery to partners stepping in to get a tough case over the finish line. Brown Fox is another Act partner firm, thanks to the investment and support of its co-founder, Russ Brown.
Russ committed his life to Christ after becoming a practicing attorney. He began witnessing Christian lawyer friends pursuing justice not just in their jobs, but through volunteering and in the way they loved their local community and the world. In reflecting upon his partnership with Act over the last 15 years, he harkened back to his early days as a Christian, “Shortly after the Lord captured my heart, I began to understand how much He loves me. The real ‘lightning rod’ moment for me was understanding that God felt the same about everyone around me. The stranger on the other side of the street has the same dignity and value to the Lord as any of my children. That was eye-opening and a clear call to serve.”
This is why Russ serves Act’s clients. Why he donates hours of his time to serving his neighbors who feel unsafe in their homes or on their streets. Once an attorney who did not enjoy the work before him, he now loves his profession and the platform it gives him to serve. He now gives his time, talents, and treasure to serve people and answer God’s call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
“The joy we get to see in a case resolution is something special,” says Russ, and he has seen and experiences the impact Act’s clients make not just on their streets, but on the attorneys, on every partner that helps move a case forward. This work requires people to lean in, act sacrificially, and commit to the hard work required to fight injustice, and that collaborative and courageous effort is transformative for every individual involved.
