Austin McMullen has an active bankruptcy practice representing creditors and Chapter 11 debtors. Austin regularly practices in all Bankruptcy Courts located in the State of Tennessee and also handles cases in other jurisdictions. Austin is a regular monthly contributor to the Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser and has served as a continuing legal education speaker on bankruptcy topics. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mid-South Commercial Law Institute and is a sub-committee chair for the Bankruptcy Courts Committee of the Nashville Bar Association.
Austin also represents clients in commercial litigation before state and federal courts. He is a graduate of the Building Trial Skills and Taking and Defending Depositions programs of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Austin handles pre-trial issues, takes and defends depositions, and tries cases to both the bench and the jury. He also writes appellate briefs, argues before appellate courts and handles judgment enforcement issues.
Austin has experience handling administrative matters and election law issues. He represents candidates in election contests and was also involved in litigation concerning the validity of the term-limits provision in the Knox County Charter, resulting in the decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court in Jordan v. Knox County, 213 S.W.2d 751 (Tenn. 2007). Austin also represents health care providers seeking or challenging certificates of need in contested matters before the Tennessee Health Services Development Agency. He has experience with insurance regulatory issues, zoning disputes and litigation involving nonconforming uses.
Austin also advises clients regarding federal, state and local permitting issues. He works with clients to acquire necessary approvals, including beer permits, liquor-by-the-drink licenses and federal ATF tax stamps. These clients include golf courses, hotels, convention centers, restaurants, convenience stores and special events for nonprofit organizations.
Prior to joining Boult Cummings in 2000, Austin earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University where he served on the Moot Court Board and as Notes Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. While at Vanderbilt, he authored “Disabled Former Employees Under the ADA: Unprincipled Decisions and Unpalatable Results,” 52 Vand. L. Rev. 726 (1999). Austin graduated Phi Beta Kappa, earning economics and business administration degrees from Millsaps College , summa cum laude , in 1997.