Seven practice areas. One principal.

Russo Lawyers covers seven core areas: drug offences, assault and serious violence, intervention orders, murder and manslaughter, sexual offences (including image-based and online matters), property offences (theft, burglary, fraud), and traffic and drink driving — across the Magistrates, County, Supreme and Children's Courts of Victoria.

These are the practice areas Sam Russo personally handles. Within each area we accept summary, indictable, and serious indictable matters — from a first-time low-range PCA charge through to murder. If your matter sits across two areas (for example, an assault charge that overlaps a Family Violence Intervention Order), one Principal — Sam — runs the whole strategy rather than handing you between separate teams.

Your charge sheet or police summary names the offence and the section of the Act it falls under, which maps directly to one of our seven areas. If you are unsure, send the document to Sam during your free initial consultation and he will confirm the area, the likely court, and the realistic range of outcomes before you decide whether to retain.

Most clients reach us before they are confident which area applies. The free initial call is the right time to confirm. Sam reads the summary or charge sheet, identifies the relevant statutory provisions, and explains which Magistrates', County or Supreme Court the matter is likely to be listed in. There is no obligation to retain after this call.

Sam runs every file personally. Russo Lawyers is structured as a boutique practice precisely so clients deal directly with the Principal from first call to final court date. There are no intake coordinators, no juniors carrying the strategic load, and no file handovers between team members.

This is the deliberate operating model of the firm. Larger practices use leverage — partners take on volume, juniors do the day-to-day work. We do the opposite: keep the matter count to what one experienced Principal can run thoroughly. The result is faster decisions, consistent strategy, and a single relationship across the entire matter.

The free initial consultation is a 20-30 minute conversation by phone, video, or in person at the Melbourne CBD office. Sam reviews your charge or notice, explains the law that applies, identifies the realistic range of outcomes, and outlines the strategic options — all before any costs agreement is signed.

You should leave the call with a clear picture of: the offence and the maximum penalty, which court is likely to hear it, the stages your matter will move through, the available defences or mitigation, and the likely cost of representation. If you decide to retain, a written costs agreement under the Legal Profession Uniform Law follows. If you decide not to, there is no charge and no follow-up sales contact.

Sam Russo appears regularly in the Magistrates' Court of Victoria (across all metro and many regional registries), the County Court, the Supreme Court of Victoria, and the Children's Court. The firm acts in matters in all jurisdictions across Victoria from the Melbourne CBD office at Level 19, 263 William Street.

Sam's career began as a Court Registrar at the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, which is the foundation of the firm's court-procedural fluency. From the Melbourne CBD office, the practice serves clients across the metropolitan area — Dandenong, Frankston, Ringwood, Heidelberg, Broadmeadows, Sunshine, Box Hill, Moorabbin, Preston — and regionally including Geelong and Werribee. Phone and video consultations are available state-wide.