Russell Monilla is an Associate at Cruz Law, P.A. Russell’s practice encompasses areas of Labor and Employment Law and Civil Rights Litigation. He is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Florida as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Prior to joining Cruz Law, Russell was a Senior Attorney at the Litigation and Special Projects Unit of the Department of Financial Services where he prepared appellate briefs and represented the agency in both state administrative and civil proceedings.

Russell earned his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law, where he received academic awards such as Book Awards for Lawyering a Movement and Professional Responsibility. Outside of awards from FSU Law, Russell also received the Witkin Award for Academic Excellence in Trial Evidence and Advocacy and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for Legal Writing and Research. Beyond academic achievement, Russell consistently demonstrated his excellent litigation skills by competing in multiple national trial advocacy competitions around the United States, including the In Vino Veritas National Trial Competition where he played a key role in leading the FSU Law team to place as a finalist and where he was awarded Best Closing Argument.

Outside of his role as an attorney, Russell is a coach for the FSU Law Trial Team, where he recently led the team to place second in a national trial competition hosted by the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Russell has also been selected as a Fellow of the Florida Bar’s Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy and was recently awarded the 36 Under Thirty-Six Award by The Florida Bar.

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