Russell Lorfing is a multi-award-winning trial lawyer, former federal prosecutor, and managing partner at Keith & Lorfing, a West Texas-based trial law firm. He and his team have handled thousands of cases and hundreds of jury trials, representing individuals and corporations in high-stakes criminal defense and complex federal matters around the country. Mr. Lorfing’s clients range from billionaires to CEOs to doctors to working-class individuals, reflecting the breadth and seriousness of the cases he handles.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Lorfing served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Lubbock, Texas, where he prosecuted federal crimes, and led a human trafficking task force on Saipan, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. He previously clerked for the Honorable Barbara Harvey on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Lorfing is the founder of Learn Federal Sentencing, an online program that teaches attorneys, academics, and families how to navigate and interpret the federal sentencing guidelines. He is also the creator of Freedom Fighters, a leadership program focused on strengthening working-class families, and the author of This Too Shall Pass, a daily devotional written for incarcerated men.
As a former state and federal prosecutor, Russell has served as lead counsel in dozens of complex jury trials. He has extensive knowledge in electronic evidence and the Electronic Communication Privacy Act. In 2017, he was designated as a Cyber Hacking Intellectual Property Prosecutor by the United States Attorney’s Office and oversaw cyber investigations throughout West Texas. He has been recognized nationally for his work on white collar investigations by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Homeland Security, and by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for his prosecutorial accomplishments and years of service to the American people.
Due to his extensive experience, Russell was frequently asked to give lectures for various law enforcement agencies and organizations, including the FBI, IRS, DEA, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Russell is also considered by the Department of Justice to be an expert on the admissibility of electronic evidence and was asked by the United States Attorney in the Northern District of Texas to provide training on this issue to federal prosecutors in Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Abilene, and Amarillo.
Mr. Lorfing is a fierce advocate for the working-class. Over the years, he has built a reputation for unapologetically fighting to level the playing field for hardworking West Texans. He has intentionally chosen not to represent corporations or the one percenters. Instead, he fights for people like him – honest, family-oriented folks who know the value of hardwork.
His authentic, plain-spoken approach to each and every case affords him the ability to connect with clients in ways that other lawyers cannot. You’re just as likely to find him at a client’s family bbq or fishing and hunting with his clients on the weekends as you are to find him advocating for them in a courtroom. He has a certain charisma that juries love and judges respect. As one colleague described him, “Russell is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He can be warm and friendly but he’s a different animal once he steps into the courtroom.”
Russell is a fifth generation Texan who prides himself on his Texas roots. He still believes a handshake and a man’s word matters. After law school, Russell found his way to Lubbock, where he worked as a federal prosecutor in the high plains of West Texas. As an Assistant United States Attorney, Russell handled cases from the Panhandle to the Big Country to the Concho Valley and everywhere in between. He now lives with his family in Abilene, Texas.
