Prominent criminal defense attorney Daniel W. Russo was installed as the Nassau County Bar Association’s 122nd President at the NCBA Installation Ceremony on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at Domus.

As an NCBA Member for almost twenty years, Dan has served in several key positions, including Past Dean of the Nassau Academy of Law, former Chair of the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, Past Editor in Chief of Nassau Lawyer, and a Director and Officer of the NCBA Board of Directors.

Education and Career

Dan received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hofstra University in 1996. At Hofstra, Dan excelled at both academics and athletics as a member of the Dean’s List and a four-year player on the Hofstra Ice Hockey team. During his senior year, Dan was awarded a prestigious internship by Hofstra University, in conjunction with American University in Washington D.C., and spent a semester on Capitol Hill as an intern for a U.S. Congressman.

After graduating from college, Dan earned his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1999. During his time at Fordham Law, Dan achieved the position of Notes and Articles Editor of the Fordham Urban Law Journal and published a student article in the same publication in his third year of law school.

Dan began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County, New York, where he prosecuted misdemeanors to violent felonies, up to and including trial. After his time in the Brooklyn DA’s Office, Dan moved to private practice where he held associate and partner positions in boutique law firms focusing on criminal defense. In 2021, he founded the Law Office of Daniel W. Russo, LLC.

Dan has established himself as a leading criminal defense attorney, skillfully representing clients who have been charged with crimes in both state and federal courts, ranging from DWI to money laundering to homicide. Dan’s practice also focuses on litigation arising out of disputes involving trusts and estates. As Of Counsel to the Law Office of Patricia Harold, he represents parties on a variety of issues in Surrogate’s Court in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Professional Associations and Memberships

Dan is licensed to practice in New York State and has been admitted to the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York since 2000. He actively participates in the Nassau County Criminal Courts Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Fordham University School of Law Alumni Association.

The Coming Year

As President for the 2024-2025 term, Dan plans to launch a concerted membership drive aimed at reversing the declining membership trend experienced since the pandemic by the NCBA and bar associations across the country. He is committed to updating and enhancing the technological infrastructure of the Bar, Nassau Academy of Law, and the Assigned Counsel Defender Plan—with the new NCBA website and cloud-based association management system launching early in his presidency. Additionally, Dan aims to promote membership participation in the Association’s 125th Anniversary celebrations and fundraising events throughout the year; continue to support the programs that benefit NCBA members and the community—WE CARE, LAP and Mortgage Foreclosure Project; and explore professional fundraisers to support the NCBA and its various components.