Recognized in Ones to Watch since 2022 
Austin Birnie is a member at Frederic Dorwart Lawyers PLLC whose practice focuses on business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, banking law, commercial transactions, securities matters, estate planning, and probate. He advises businesses, financial institutions, private equity firms, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and family-owned businesses on a wide range of corporate transactions, investment matters, governance issues, and strategic business decisions. Austin also counsels banks and financial institutions on commercial agreements, customer contracts, fraud response, regulatory issues, and risk management, helping clients navigate complex legal and operational challenges with practical, business-focused solutions.
Austin's practice also includes advising business owners and families on succession planning, wealth transfer strategies, estate planning, and probate administration, allowing him to provide comprehensive counsel throughout the business lifecycle. Drawing on his background in commercial litigation, he approaches transactions with a keen understanding of risk, contract enforcement, and dispute avoidance, helping clients structure deals that protect their long-term interests. He earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law, where he served as Lead Editor of the Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law and interned for the Honorable Sam Glasscock, Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery. He received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Chicago.
