The Legal Genealogist, Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing.

A native of the American west with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society (U.S.) and numerous state and regional genealogical societies.

On the faculty of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute, and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records at the U.S. National Archives, she lectures internationally providing expert guidance through the murky territory where law, history, and genealogy come together.

Recipient of the 2015 Utah Genealogical Association Silver Tray Award and the 2016 Director’s Award from the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® (BCG), from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM.

She has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (from which she received the 2017 Award of Excellence), the National Genealogical Society Magazine, the FGS Forum, BCG’s OnBoard, and Family Tree Magazine, among other publications.

Her award-winning blog appears at The LegalGenealogist website.