Russell N. “Rusty” Perkins graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1980, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science and minors in sociology and psychology. He graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1983 with his Juris Doctor degree and was admitted to the Mississippi Bar that same year.
In 1984, Mr. Perkins was admitted to the Tennessee Bar. He was corporate counsel for two large corporations in Nashville, Tennessee, for over four years, practicing in the areas of Franchise Law, Business Law, Corporations and Litigation.
Mr. Perkins began the practice of law in Murfreesboro TN, in 1988 with the firm of Burger, Fly and McFarlin, engaging in general practice, including Criminal Defense, Family Law, Business Law and Corporate Law, Debt Collection, Civil Litigation and Franchise Law. On September 1, 1989, Mr. Perkins became the first Assistant Public Defender for the Sixteenth Judicial District covering Rutherford and Cannon Counties. He served in this capacity for over twenty-seven years, and, in the process, handled thousands of criminal cases and over 100 criminal jury and bench trials. He was certified by the State of Tennessee to serve as lead counsel in death penalty cases during this time also.
In 2017, Mr. Perkins retired from the Public Defender’s Office and founded the firm of Perkins & Perkins, PLLC, with his son, Stephen A. “Drew” Perkins. He has continued to practice in the area of Criminal Defense but has expanded his practice to include Estate and Probate matters, Family Law and Divorce, Adoption, Child Custody and Support, Restoration of Rights and Expungement of Convictions, and other areas. There is probably no other attorney practicing in Murfreesboro today who has tried more cases than Mr. Perkins, and he brings his many years of experience to bear in all the cases he handles. If you need experienced, competent advice or action, you simply cannot do better than Rusty Perkins.
