About Russell D.
Russell D. Zimberlin took a circuitous route into law. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Temple University and later completed a Juris Doctor at New England Law | Boston in 2015. His legal training combined classroom instruction with practical skills that would shape a practice spanning state and federal venues.
After law school he built a practice grounded in courtroom work and administrative advocacy. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut and before the 2nd Circuit. He also holds admission to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the Department of Veterans Affairs, which allows him to handle appeals and administrative claims on behalf of veterans.
Zimberlin has been active in local and statewide bar groups since early in his career. He is a member of the Hartford, Manchester and Tolland County bar associations. His involvement extends to substantive interest groups as well: he belongs to the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. At the Connecticut Bar Association he serves as Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers Section Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, a role that involves organizing programming and resources for newer practitioners running small practices.
Colleagues describe him as practical and steady in court. He has developed experience in criminal defense and in civil trials through work in state courts. Admission to veterans’ appellate and administrative forums has also led him to represent veterans on benefits matters and appeals under federal veterans law. His memberships in trial and criminal defense organizations reflect that range of practice.
Zimberlin operates from a small firm model. He is principal of Zimberlin Law LLC, where cases are handled directly by the firm’s attorneys rather than routed through a large firm hierarchy. That structure informs the way he manages client relationships. Files are often handled personally, and the practice emphasizes courtroom preparation and appellate briefing when matters escalate.
Outside casework he spends time on bar committees and local association events. He chairs and participates in panels intended to help solo practitioners and small firms navigate daily practice challenges. Those activities keep him connected to the pulse of Connecticut’s legal community and to emerging issues in litigation and veterans law.
He currently practices from Zimberlin Law LLC and represents clients in veterans benefits appeals, criminal defense matters, and civil trial litigation.
