Robert B. Austrian

Robert is very familiar with the nuanced issues and arguments involved in personal injury cases. To educate the public, he wrote a free online e-guide called From Wreck to Rights: Seeking Justice After a Car Crash. It is available for free download here: https://fromwrecktorights.com/. Prior to that, Robert an Assistant District Attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. During his tenure, Robert handled hundreds of criminal matters, such as assaults, DWIs, larcenies, sexual abuse/forcible touching and accompanying Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) issues, revenge porn, possession of forged instruments, stalking, and weapons possession, as well as various domestic violence offenses. As an Assistant District Attorney, he advocated for victims of crime, and he brings his experiences from the District Attorney’s Office to advocate for victims of injustice.

Robert takes pride in the fact that he started his legal career out of college as a paralegal at a major national law firm prior to attending law school. This experience gives Rob unique insight, as he is familiar with the “nuts and bolts” administrative side of handling cases in addition to the strictly legal side. Robert later worked as a law clerk at this firm throughout law school in the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. While there, Rob worked on complex products liability matters involving major government contractors, as well as premises liability matters. Robert also directly worked on a high-stakes intellectual property federal bench trial. Additionally, Robert is an officer in the New York Army National Guard Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. Before he became a member of the JAG Corps, Robert was a Field Artillery officer, where he served as a platoon leader of a platoon of 105mm howitzers, and a fire support officer attached to an infantry unit coordinating artillery support with infantry maneuvers, among many other roles.

Robert graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School. He was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society – Trial Division, where he won Best Cross Examination at the Judge Paul Joseph Kelley Jr. Invitational Trial Competition and received the Smiley & Smiley LLP Award for Excellence in Trial Skills. He also won two C.A.L.I. Excellence for the Future Awards for having the highest grade in both Criminal Procedure – Adjudication and Real Estate Finance. He earned a Certificate in Criminal Law With Distinction for his academic accomplishments in that field. Robert successfully graduated on time with the above-described accolades from Brooklyn Law School despite being ordered onto active duty in the Army National Guard during his final year of law school. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, playing golf, listening to music, and playing guitar.

NOTABLE VERDICTS & SETTLEMENTS:

• $7,250,000.00 for an injured worker resulting from a construction site incident
• $2,000,000.00 for an injured person involved in a motor vehicle incident
• $751,500.00 for a Court-awarded judgment for a motor vehicle incident
• $225,000.00 for a slip and fall inside a school

BAR ADMISSIONS:

• Pennsylvania
• New York
• U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court – Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court – Eastern District of New York

HONORS AND AWARDS:

• Super Lawyers – New York Metro Rising Stars – 2024
• Top 40 Under 40 – Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:

• Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
• Philadelphia Bar Association
• New York State Trial Lawyer’s Association
• Staten Island Trial Lawyer’s Association