The Highland Title + Escrow team normally shines their employee spotlight on new team members, but for Joe Russo, Senior Settlement Attorney, it’s a bit of a homecoming. Joe first met Mike McFarlane, Founder, President and Chief Counsel of Highland Title, in 1998, and he joined Highland Title + Escrow as a Settlement Attorney in 2003. Joe went on to start his own title and escrow company which he later sold, and for the past few years, has been working in the title industry with other settlement firms. Joe recently jumped at the opportunity to return to Highland Title as he believes that the company provides the most professional, experienced venue to serve his Realtor and Lender clients.
Joe has a passion for real estate and has been involved in title and escrow settlement services since 1996 as a settlement attorney, title insurance agent, and as a former REALTOR©. Joe has a wealth of real estate experience including having personally presided over more than 20,000 residential closing transactions. With over 25 years of residential and commercial real estate experience, Joe deals with all aspects of the real estate settlement transaction. He works closely with home buyers and sellers, developers, lenders and real estate agents, focusing on contract review, negotiation and conflict resolution. Joe handles both residential and commercial real estate transactions and has extensive experience conducting settlements, examining title, resolving title issues, and the drafting and review of all types of legal documents.
Joe is a 1990 graduate of Georgetown University where he was a 4-year letterman on the Varsity Baseball team and team captain his Senior year. Joe received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1995 and passed the Pennsylvania Bar exam that summer before returning to the Washington, D.C. metro-area permanently. Joe is admitted to the District of Columbia and Virginia State Bars and is a licensed title producer in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland.
A typical day for Joe isn’t typical just yet, but his days will be spent meeting with Realtors and clients while conducting closing transactions. Joe is a problem solver, always striving for creative ways to ensure a smooth and joyous settlement experience. His many years of experience, attention to detail and commitment to making settlements both informative and fun is what Joe believes makes his closings special. Joe’s goal at the closing table is to make his agents look like rock stars and treat their clients like royalty.
When he is not conducting closings, Joe is constantly involved in the education of our Real Estate Community, regularly conducting classes and giving seminars. He is an active member of the Dulles Association Area of REALTORS® (DAAR) and the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS®.
When not working, Joe can be found spending time with his family and attending his children’s practices, competitions or games.
To contact Joe, please call his cell 703.408.1252 or his office 703.723.3300, or click here. As always, the entire team looks forward to working with you toward a smooth settlement experience.