Russell Powell

Russell Powell is a Professor of Law and the Fr. John Topel S.J. Endowed Scholar at Seattle University School of Law, where he also directs the SJD program. He holds a B.A. in Near Eastern History (Harvard University), J.D. (University of Virginia), M.A. in Social Philosophy (Loyola University Chicago), and Ph.D. in Near and Middle Eastern Studies (University of Washington). His research focuses on law and religion (particularly Catholic social thought and Islamic legal theory), corporate governance, and comparative constitutionalism. He has served as Chair of the AALS Section on Islamic Law and the Islamic Law Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association. His scholarship explores secularism, originalism, and ethical corporate governance, with recent work addressing sectarian education and religious constitutionalism.

Dr. Powell's career includes roles as a corporate attorney at Coudert Brothers and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and as a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer. Fluent in Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi, he has published widely in law journals and co-edited volumes on investor protections and legal pluralism. His work bridges legal theory with interdisciplinary insights from philosophy, history, and political science.

Key contributions include analyzing Islamic constitutionalism in Turkey and the Middle East, critiquing secularist paradigms, and advocating for ethical frameworks in corporate law. His 2025 forthcoming articles advance discussions on Catholic social thought’s role in legal systems and the legitimacy of sectarian educational institutions in diverse societies.

Dr. Powell has reviewed major works on secularism, Muslim democracy, and interfaith dialogue. Grants and institutional roles include leadership in the Conference on Catholic Legal Thought and editorial contributions to the Seattle University Law Review. His research emphasizes reconciling religious principles with modern legal challenges, particularly in corporate accountability and constitutional design.