Alumna Spotlight
Accomplished Attorney and Former State Secretary with a Legacy of Legal Leadership and Public Service
K. Gail Russell joined the law firm Tilford Dobbins & Schmidt, PLLC in July 2020. For more than 35 years, she has devoted her practice to the legal areas of bankruptcy, banking, and collections.
A native of Murray, Kentucky, Russell graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in political science with highest distinction. She returned to Kentucky and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
In December 2015, she left the private practice of law to join the Kentucky state government. Her positions included service as Secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet, which is the primary regulatory cabinet. In this position, Russell directed the Cabinet’s legal team of 38 attorneys and was the highest-ranking appointed female officer in state government.
Prior to 2006, Russell was appointed by the Governor as a Special Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court. She also was selected to provide leadership as a member of the Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Racing Commission, and the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership Board.
Russell is now a member of the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. She is also a member of the Uniform Law Commission, appointed by the Kentucky Legislature. This body is primarily known for drafting the Uniform Commercial Code and subsequent amendments. Previously, Russell served on the Republican National Committee as a Kentucky national committee woman.
Russell is active in church, civic, and community organizations such as the Women’s Club of Louisville.
“Ole Miss provided me a tremendous educational opportunity, and I left campus prepared to compete at the next level. I owe a debt to this university for giving me a wonderful foundation upon which to build a legal career,” Russell said. Russell and her husband, Ken Potish, a retired banker, reside in Louisville, KY.