William Joseph Austin, Jr.

Biography

Mr. Austin's practice experience encompasses all aspects of the employment relationship.  He has litigated employment and civil rights issues in federal and state courts.  Mr. Austin also represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Employment Security Commission, federal and state wage and hour divisions, and the North Carolina Industrial Commission.  He has served on numerous North Carolina Bar Association Councils including the Labor and Employment Council from 1992 to 1995; Workers' Compensation Council from 1996 to 1999; and Litigation Council from 2001 to 2004.  In addition, Mr. Austin edited The Course and Scope newsletter of the Workers' Compensation Section from 1995 to 1996 and The Litigator newsletter of the Litigation Section from 1999 to 2001.  He has litigated workers' compensation claims before the North Carolina Industrial Commission for more than 30 years, and has also been appointed as special counsel on issues dealing with workers' compensation in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Mr. Austin is a frequent speaker and course planner for seminars on workers' compensation, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.  He has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law.  Mr. Austin is certified in Employee Benefits Law by the Institute for Applied Management and Law.

Admitted to Practice

• North Carolina, 1978
• All state and federal courts in North Carolina
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Tax Court

Honors and Distinctions*

• The Best Lawyers in America, 2009-2013
• "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, 2012-2013

Education

• J.D., The University of North Carolina School of Law, 1978. North Carolina Law Review, Holderness Moot Court Bench, National Moot Court Team.
• M.A., Duke University, 1978
• A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1973

Professional and Community Affiliations

• American Bar Association — Section: Labor and Employment Law
• Johnston Memorial Hospital Foundation (member, board of directors)
• National Arbitration and Mediation Employment Panel
• North Carolina Association of Community College Attorneys
• North Carolina Bar Association — Sections: Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities; Dispute Resolution; Education Law; Labor and Employment Law; Litigation; Workers' Compensation (past editor, Litigation and Workers' Compensation newsletters; past council member, Labor and Employment, Workers' Compensation, and Litigation Sections)
• North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission

* Please see the following websites for an explanation of the membership standards for the following recognitions: www.bestlawyers.com; www.businessnc.com/legalelite; and www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina.