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PRACTICE AREAS:
- Divorce
- Civil Litigation
- Mediation
Russ Heldman is a former Circuit Court Judge for the 21st Judicial District Tennessee. He served as one of four circuit judges presiding over the circuit, chancery, domestic, and criminal dockets of Williamson, Hickman, Lewis and Perry counties from September 1, 1998, to September 1, 2006.
Russ Heldman had the extreme privilege of serving as Circuit Court Judge along with Judges R. E. Lee Davies, Timothy Easter, Jeffrey Bivins, and Cornelia A. Clark, who is now a Tennessee Supreme Court Justice. Former Judge Heldman's primary contribution was instituting mediation as an alternative to litigation in Williamson County domestic and civil circuit courts. He is currently a Rule 31 listed civil/family mediator. Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 governs the practice and procedure of court annexed mediation in Tennessee.
While circuit court judge, Russ Heldman also served as a Special Tennessee Court of Appeals judge in 2003 by designation from the Tennessee Supreme Court. As a former circuit court judge, he remains a member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference.
Upon return to the private practice of law in 2006 as a member of Hollins, Wagster, Weatherly & Raybin, Russ Heldman primarily practices in the field of civil mediation and civil and appellate litigation. Prior to becoming Circuit Court Judge, Mr. Heldman was a civil and criminal law practitioner for 14 years. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in English and Economics in 1979. He graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law with a J.D. in 1982.
From 1982-1983 Mr. Heldman was law clerk to Chief Justice William H. D. Fones of the Tennessee Supreme Court. He formerly worked with the law firm of Hollins, Wagster & Yarbrough throughout the rest of the 1980s. After a four-year term with the state-wide law firm of Heiskell, Donelson, Bearman, Adams & Kirsch, he started a law firm with former U.S. Attorney Ernie Williams in Franklin, Tennessee, Williams & Heldman and practiced law out of Franklin, Tennessee, for almost four years until becoming Circuit Court Judge in 1998. In 2000, Russ Heldman again graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Master's Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences which he obtained from University's MLAS Program for working adults.
As an attorney with this firm, Russ Heldman is primarily interested in the practice of civil mediation and litigation, including domestic litigation, and appellate litigation. His extracurricular activities include swimming, reading, studying William Shakespeare and following Major League baseball.
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