Education
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University of Tennessee College of Law, J.D., 1973
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Ohio State University, B.A., 1969
Bar Admissions
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District of Columbia
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Tennessee
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Virginia
Court Admissions
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U.S. Supreme Court
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
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U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
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U.S. District Court for the District of Eastern Virginia
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Tennessee Supreme Court
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Virginia Supreme Court
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John Austin advises clients on litigation and regulatory matters including health and safety, environmental and antitrust matters. His practice involves acquisition and compliance counseling and auditing; administrative and appellate litigation, including defending enforcement actions at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); project management; solid and hazardous waste laws; accident investigation defense and crisis management; and “direct purchaser” litigation to collect damages for corporate clients in antitrust cases. He also represents clients in administrative litigation before regulatory agencies including the Mine Safety and Health Review Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. In addition, Mr. Austin conducts environmental, safety and health audits and provides advice on regulatory mandates, toxic tort defense, hazard communication and product liability.
Mr. Austin served as a trial attorney in the Department of Interior Solicitor’s Office and then as Vice-President, Environment and Assistant Chief Counsel for a prominent Washington, DC trade association representing the mining, cement metals and coal industry. He returned to private practice after a decade of managing the association's litigation and lobbying activities related to environmental and radiation matters; supervising outside counsel; presenting prepared industry comments and testimony; and litigating complex, multi-party cases, including the landmark AMC and CMA cases addressing the definition of solid waste and other issues related to reuse and recycling.
At Patton Boggs, Mr Austin co-chaired the firm's litigation team in successfully resolving: (1) a record-setting EPA clean water and air enforcement case brought against the largest egg producer east of the Mississippi; (2) the antitrust claims of copper producer clients and explosives user clients, collecting hundreds of millions of dollars of damages; (3) thousands of MSHA, OSHA and EPA enforcement and penalty cases, discrimination or whistleblower cases and related litigation claims; and (4) assisted dozens of clients with acquisition risk assessments and compliance counseling, including hazard communication and product warning and liability risk reduction programs.
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