Richard Rusak

Richard D. Rusak is a partner in the Miami office of Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A and Board Certified in Marine/Admiralty Law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Education and Specialization since 2010.  He is an accomplished trial lawyer with two decades of litigation and appellate experience in federal and state courts and primarily represents major insurance companies, ship owners and marinas in marine/admiralty defense cases.  Mr. Rusak also practices in the areas of hospitality defense, trucking accidents, first party insurance litigation, property damage claims, products liability, wrongful death, and personal injury litigation.

Mr. Rusak involves himself in document-intensive investigation and extensive discovery to formulate litigation strategies, while consistently working with claims specialists to develop and implement successful litigation, settlement, and trial strategies.  In addition to defense litigation, he handles declaratory relief actions, contract drafting and all aspects of case management from inception through appeal.

In 2016, Mr. Rusak obtained the highest maritime verdict in Florida. He has argued before trial and appellate courts and has received over 85 reported decisions.  He has also won multiple dismissals with prejudice, summary judgments, a directed verdict in a personal injury case and defense judgements in product liability trials.  Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Rusak was a partner with a regional law firm handling crewmember and passenger personal injury claims, maritime lien enforcements, marine property, and other commercial disputes.  From 2010 to 2015, Mr. Rusak was recognized as a “Rising Star” and from 2016 to 2019 as a “Super Lawyer” in the Florida Super Lawyers® “Rising Stars” publication. Mr. Rusak has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America^® since 2024. 

Mr. Rusak received his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 2002 and Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey in 1999, graduating with majors in History and Political Science.

Mr. Rusak is licensed to practice law in Florida and the United States Virgin Islands. He is a member of The Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida; U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; the United States Supreme Court and U.S. Virgin Islands.

PUBLICATIONS

• “The Shipowners’ Limitation of Liability Act: Pitfalls of the Unwary,” Co-Author
• “Plowing Your Way into Environmental Liabilities in South Florida,” Co-Author