About Us

Born and raised in Somerset County, Joe Russell graduated from Shade High School in 1964.   He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh (Johnstown) at age 17 and completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree (with Honors) at age 19 with majors in History, Political Science and Economics.  Unable to fund graduate school, he took a position teaching at Somerset Junior High School in 1967 where he taught until 1971.

In 1971, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh Law School where he was a Moot Court Advisor and graduated in 1974.

During his law school years, he supported himself by working as an investigator, clerking at the Offices of Metz, Cook, Hanna and Kelly in Pittsburgh.  During the summers, he performed clerking services for Alexander Ogle Law Offices in Somerset, Pennsylvania and Abood, Rodkey and Eckel in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

After passing the bar examination in 1974, he was admitted to practice and became an associate of Abood, Rodkey and Eckel.  When Caram J. Abood was elected Judge in 1975, he became a sole practitioner until he founded the firm of Russell, Pappas & Rozich in 1985 in a Victorian Mansion on Haynes Street in Johnstown which he physically moved and renovated.

In 1991, Judge Abood joined the firm and Abood, Russell, Pappas & Rozich has continued to operate from its current location at 709 Franklin Street in Johnstown since 1993.

With the retirement of Judge Abood in January 2024, Joe opted to take of counsel status with his former firm and return to solo practice in Richland Township while winding up the affairs of the firm.

While in his early years of practice, Joe engaged in a general practice handling domestic work, civil litigation and real estate, in addition to workers’ compensation and personal injury, with creation of the law firm in 1985, he was able to shift his concentration to workers’ compensation, auto accidents, Social Security Disability and bad faith insurance practices litigation.

Over the course of a career spanning nearly fifty years, he has represented thousands of clients injured at work or in vehicle accidents.  He has prided himself for worrying more about what will happen to the clients after the compensation claim or injury claim resolves, than the fees generated to the firm.

Joe has counseled and assisted hundreds of clients to retrain and return to gainful employment in fields from engineering, teaching, nursing, municipal planning and truck and bus driving.  Many others were approved for Social Security Disability and returned to part-time work within their capability.

With the retirement of Judge Abood, Attorney Russell decided to spend his remaining years of practice in an office location more convenient for his clients and concentrating his time of helping people who are victims of the system.

In all cases, Joe’s focus is assuring that the client is able to take care of himself and his family after the case resolves through retraining, relocation or securing Social Security Disability benefits.

In all cases, Joe takes the time to counsel clients on their auto insurance coverages which are often inadequate to protect the insured but are written to protect the insurance company.

Joe is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, the Western District Court as well as the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.  He is a lifetime member of the Pennsylvania and Cambria County Bar Associations.

Joe and his wife, MK, reside in Hornerstown in his most recently restored Victorian home with their two dogs.  He is frequently seen cruising the area in one of the old cars he restores as a hobby.