Russell J. Ober, Jr. is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. His practice is concentrated on the litigation of business and commercial disputes and the defense of product liability claims. Russ began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. In that position he was responsible for the prosecution of hundreds of criminal cases.
Since entering private practice, he has tried cases throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has appeared before the Pennsylvania Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth Courts. Russ has also litigated numerous matters in state courts outside of Pennsylvania, as well as more than a dozen United States District Courts. He has also appeared before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, and Seventh Circuits.
Russ resides with his wife Sandi in Mt. Lebanon. His children are grown and live in Washington, D.C. and upstate New York. As empty nesters, Russ and Sandi enjoy the freedom of travel, and they have visited more than 39 countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. They look forward to new adventures.
- Lead counsel for clients in a variety of sectors (including energy, manufacturing and construction), in lawsuits and arbitrations where the amounts in controversy have been in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Lead counsel for the appellants in a securities law case in which the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari and vacated the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
- Represented clients in numerous domestic commercial arbitrations, as well as international arbitrations administered by the International Chamber of Commerce and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution.
- Lead counsel for numerous domestic and international manufacturers and distributors of products in lawsuits, in numerous courts around the country, including serving as national coordinating counsel in a multi-district litigation involving medical devices.
- Elected as Fellow, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, 1982
- Included in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation and Product Liability Defense from 2007-2023
- Selected to the 2007-2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- Selected to the Top 50, 2014 Pittsburgh Super Lawyers list
- AV Preeminent® Rating from the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ Program 1995-2023
- Appointed by the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to preside over civil jury and non-jury trials as a special master and as a court-appointed mediator
- Appointed by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania as an Adjunct Settlement Judge
- Approved by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania as a mediator, arbitrator, and early neutral evaluator
- Appointed by the Disciplinary Board, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as a Hearing Committee Member (2023-2026)
- Selected by The Legal Intelligencer as Best Law Firm Mentor, 2023
- Allegheny County Bar Association
- Served as Chair of the Young Lawyers Section
- Served on the Board of Governors
- Elected to three terms on the Judiciary Committee
- Served as a member of the Council of the Civil Litigation Section
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Served for many years as a member of the House of Delegates
- American Bar Association
- Served as a Young Lawyer member of the House of Delegates
- Served for many years as a member of the Pretrial Practice and Discovery Committee of the Section of Litigation
- Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County
- Served as Chair of the Federal Practice Committee
- Served as Chair of the Nominating Committee
- Elected to two terms on the Board of Governors
- Served as a member on numerous standing and special committees
- International Association of Defense Counsel, Member
- Parent and Child Guidance Center (now Familylinks), Former President and Board Chair
- Former Member, Board of Directors, various United Way charities
- Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States Tax Court
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and all inferior courts
- J.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Law
- Advanced Trial Advocacy Course of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley
- B.A., University of Pittsburgh
Russ has lectured on various topics relating to trial advocacy sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Bar Association, and the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.