Austin O’Brien

Attorney
Email: aobrien@hkw-law.com
Phone: 770-953-0995

Austin O’Brien is an experienced litigator with a reputation for effectively resolving high-stakes disputes both inside and outside the courtroom. Prior to joining HKW, he handled complex matters spanning consumer financial services, foreclosure and commercial disputes, medical malpractice, and appeals. Today, Austin focuses his practice primarily on sophisticated employment matters, as well as general business and commercial litigation.A native of Indiana, Austin earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy and economics from the University of Notre Dame before receiving his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law with concentrations in litigation and dispute resolution as well as business and financial law. While at Fordham Law, his passion for advocacy was most fully realized through his leadership as Chair of the Fordham Dispute Resolution Society—an internationally competitive team experience that continues to shape his approach to complex litigation.

“So much of effective litigation is knowing when to push the process versus when to use discretion and time to your client’s advantage. Our firm does an exceptional job of understanding not only the core legal issues, but also how litigation strategy impacts the client and the overall process—an approach that leads to positive outcomes and makes the practice of law deeply rewarding.”

Austin is licensed to practice in Georgia, New York, and New Jersey, as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey.

Outside the office, Austin enjoys spending his time with his wife, son, and their Pomeranian, playing guitar, reading philosophy and history, and cheering on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Practice Areas

• Business and Commercial Litigation
• Construction Defect Litigation
• Employment Litigation
  • ADA
  • FLSA
  • FMLA
• Tort Litigation
  • Property Damage Defense
  • Premises Liability Defense

Bar Admissions

• Georgia
• New York
• New Jersey

Court Admissions

• Eastern District of New York
• Southern District of New York
• District of New Jersey

Education

• Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
  • Chair, Dispute Resolution Society
  • Staff, Fordham Urban Law Journal
  • John D. Feerick Award
  • Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award magna cum laude
• University of Notre Dame, B.A.

Published Works

• The Use of Discovery in Arbitration: How the Practice of Discovery Serves the Goals of Arbitration, American Arbitration Association’s DISPUTE RESOLUTION JOURNAL, Vol. 74, No. 2 (December 2019).

Professional Associations and Affiliations

• State Bar of Georgia
• Georgia Center for Lawyer Wellbeing

Prior Positions

• Attorney, J. Robbin Law
• Attorney, Sinel & Olesen, PLLC
• Attorney, Weiner, Millo, Morgan & Bonanno, LLC