NCVLI’s Legal Advocacy Award recognizes crime victims’ rights attorneys who have dedicated and committed their time to representing victims of crime in the criminal justice system.

Russell P. Butler is an Attorney who serves as Executive Director of the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. (MCVRC).  MCVRC is a victim services and legal services provider that provides assistance to victims of all types of crime. Russell has litigated for crime victims in trial courts in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and United States District Courts in several states and appellate courts in Maryland and the United States Court of Appeals for the 3^rd, 4^th, 6^th, and 10^th Circuits.


Russell serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore Law School teaching “The Rights of Crime Victims” starting in 2005 and he served in 2007 as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore teaching a graduate course in criminal justice regarding victims of crime.


From 1985 to 2002, Russell served as lobbyist for the Stephanie Roper Committee, Inc., and also as the legal counsel for the Stephanie Roper Foundation, Inc. Russell has successfully advocated for numerous statutes and court rules.  Most recently, Russell drafted and Maryland adopted House Bill 250 effective June 1, 2013 which allows victims to file a direct appeal to the appellate court and for the court to provide a remedy for the violation of a victim’s rights.


Russell has served on a number of Maryland criminal justice advisory committees including the State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy and the Article 27 Revision Committee. Russell served as the 2004-2005 Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Section on Criminal Law and Practice and he served as Co-Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section’s Victim Committee from 2006-2010, and is currently Chair of the Victim Advisory Group in the United States Sentencing Commission.
Russell is a graduate of the University of Maryland in College Park and the University of Baltimore Law School. 

Past Recipients:

• Wendy Murphy (2001)
• Lyn Schollett (2002)
• Cynthia Lee Carter (2003)
• Jay Howell (2003)
• Richard D. Pompelio (2004)
• Paul Cassell (2005)
• Cynthia Hora (2006)
• Jamie Mills (2007)
• Steven J. Twist (2008)
• Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project (2009)
• Heidi Nestel (2010)
• Steven Kelley (2011)
• Erin K. Olson (2012)