Ron Austin is a highly regarded attorney who practices in the areas of business litigation, employment law, healthcare law, and product liability litigation. Ron’s practice includes representing Fortune 500 companies, financial services companies, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations in employment and business disputes. Ron also represents manufacturers in product liability litigation and has extensive experience defending against toxic tort claims. Ron serves as national coordinating counsel for several clients, managing all aspects of the litigation, including trial. Additionally, Ron conducts internal investigations and regularly advises clients to help them avoid litigation. Ron is a licensed member of the Illinois Bar and a member of the trial bar for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Ron has been recognized each year since 2019 by the legal industry publication, Super Lawyers Magazine, for his accomplishments. In 2025, Ron received the Earl B. Dickerson Award. This award was established in honor of the late Earl B. Dickerson, who was an outstanding lawyer and among the first African-American members of the Chicago Bar Association. The Dickerson Award recognizes and honors lawyers and judges whose careers emulate the courage and dedication of Dickerson in making the law the key to justice for all in our society.

Memberships & Affiliations

Ron serves on several non-profit boards and holds leadership positions in numerous bar associations, including:

Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (Treasurer, Executive Council, Mentor Committee Chair)
Chicago Bar Association (Investigations Chair for the Judicial Evaluation Committee)
DRI (Member)
Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys (Board of Directors, Membership Chair)
Illinois Defense Counsel (Member)
Illinois Primary Health Care Association (Community Board Member Advisory Panel)
PCC Community Wellness Center (Chairman)
PCC Foundation (Chairman)
University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Board (Member)
Victory Apostolic Church (Vice Chairman)

Education

Ron obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1997. Prior to law school, Ron graduated from Florida A&M University, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1993.

Awards & Recognition

Recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine (2019-2026)
Earl B. Dickerson Award from the Chicago Bar Association (2025)

Representative Matters

Represented a federally qualified health center and individual defendants against claims of race, national origin, age, and hostile work environment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. We successfully dismissed the individual defendants and obtained summary judgment in favor of the health center on all claims.
Represented a physician against an action seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, declaratory judgment, and damages for an alleged breach of a non-compete provision in the physician’s employment contract in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. We successfully defeated the request for an injunction and filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, which was granted.
Represented an automobile manufacturer against breach of warranty and fraudulent concealment claims in the Circuit Court of Winnebago County, Illinois. The trial court found in favor of the plaintiff following a bench trial, but the Illinois Appellate Court reversed the decision and granted judgment in our client’s favor.
Represented a commercial oven manufacturer in an asbestos personal injury lawsuit in Albany County, New York. The court granted our renewed motion for summary judgment after the start of the trial.
Represented an international corporation against claims of negligence, fraudulent concealment, conspiracy, and successor liability related to injuries the plaintiffs allegedly received from inhaling welding fumes in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (MDL Docket). We prevailed on a motion for summary judgment, resulting in the dismissal of more than 3,000 complaints.

Presentations

Diversity in Health Law: Challenges and Successes - Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys
Recent Developments with Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements – Illinois Primary Health Care Association’s Annual Leadership Conference
Litigating Non-Compete Agreements – Association of Defense Trial Attorneys’ Annual Meeting
Amendments to the Illinois Limited Liability Company Act – Illinois Paralegal Association’s Spring Education Conference
Employment Laws Every Business Owner Should Know – Chicago Urban League’s Next Level Business Development Program