Colin Russ is a leading, independent commercial mediator. He is a Top Ranked Commercial Mediator in Band 1 of the Chambers UK Guide 2026 and is a Top Tier Hall of Fame Commercial Mediator in the Legal 500 Guide 2026.
Hall of Fame Mediators are at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Originally qualified as a lawyer, Colin practiced as a commercial litigation lawyer for over 20 years, ultimately as Head of Litigation at the Birmingham office of global law firm DLA Piper. After his interest in the mediation process grew, Colin gained his Mediator Accreditation and left DLA (as it was then) to set up his own mediation practice – Colin David Russ t/a CDR.
Over the last 26 years Colin has built CDR into a thriving, independent commercial mediation practice in the UK. His clients include many of the UK’s top law firms and Colin has considerable expertise in high value multi-party mediations, involving complex multi-issue disputes.
To date, Colin has completed close to 2,000 mediations, with the vast majority of these achieving successful resolution on the day.