Russell T. Cook

Russ Cook is the firm’s founding partner and the longest-tenured estate planner on the team. He is an Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) and an Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) with the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and he was the first attorney in Tennessee to be recognized as an estate planning specialist by the Tennessee Board of Certification and Specialization. He is a CFP Board Continuing Education Sponsor and a frequent speaker for the Tennessee Bar Association’s continuing legal education program.

He received his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany in 1984 and his J.D. from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C. in 1987. He also attended the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, enrolled in their International Business Studies Program. He is a member of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, the National Bar Association Probate Committee, the Middle Tennessee Estate Planning Council, and the Tennessee Bar Association.

Much of his practice is long-running advisory work — the families and closely held businesses he counsels, the trusts he drafts, the ongoing review and amendment as circumstances change. The seminar calendar and the radio and television schedule are part of how he stays current and how he gives back to the broader bar. He has appeared on the Retirement Report on News Channel 5 and on stations including 99.7 WWTN, 1510 WLAC, and 107.9 WMSR.

Russ is originally from Syracuse, New York. His personal motto: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.