Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. has elected Attorney Robert F. Russell of Princeton, Ill., as the chairman of its board of directors. Russell is a partner in the Princeton law firm Russell, English, Scoma & Beneke. He is the third generation of Russells to practice law in Princeton, following his father, Fred G. Russell, and his grandfather, Judge R. L. Russell, who first opened his office in Princeton in 1897. ATG is widely known as an advocate for both lawyers and the clients they serve. Subsidiary companies owned and operated by ATG include:  ATG Legal Education, LLC; ATG LegalServe; ATG Trust Company; The Judicial Sales Corporation; and NLT Title, LLC. “It is my goal to maintain ATG’s industry-wide reputation as the premier lawyer service organization for both the legal profession and for the public,” Russell said. “We have the right people to ensure we continue providing unsurpassed service to attorneys and their clients. Being chosen to lead this complex and innovative company during a time of extreme uncertainty in the national real estate market is a true honor.  I look forward to working with our management team and my fellow board members to meet and surmount the challenges that face us.” Peter J. Birnbaum, president and CEO of ATG, stated: “We are pleased and proud that Bob will be serving ATG in this important leadership capacity. Not only is Bob a top-notch lawyer, he is also a great leader. He has the ability to build consensus in even the most complex and challenging circumstances.” In addition, ATG’s new executive committee was voted in October 2010, and includes the following five members (all of whom are practicing attorneys):

• Robert F. Russell, chairman, Princeton;
• Ward F. McDonald, vice chairman, Champaign;
• David S. Dunn, secretary, Bloomington;
• John G. O’Brien, treasurer, Arlington Heights; and
• William W. Austin, immediate past chairman, Effingham.

Russell has been a member of ATG’s board of directors since 1995. He also serves as chairman of the board of The Judicial Sales Corporation, a subsidiary of ATG. Russell is a frequent lecturer and author throughout Illinois on real estate and township law. Very active in the legal profession, Russell has been a member of the Illinois State Bar Association since 1974, and is active on its Real Estate Section Council. Russell is a director with the Illinois Township Attorneys’ Association, and has been the vice president of that association since 2009. He is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association, and is a Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation. He previously served as president of the Bureau County Bar Association from 2002 through 2004. Russell was also appointed as a member of the Educational Law Section Council of the Illinois State Bar from 1993 through 1995. Russell and his firm concentrate in real estate, estate planning and probate, business organizations and agricultural law, insurance defense, and local government law and zoning. Through its nearly 4,000 member attorneys across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, ATG has presided more than 2.5 million home closings and provided homebuyers with competitively priced title insurance since 1964.