I founded Austermuehle Law, P.C. on a simple premise: clients in high-stakes business disputes deserve the direct, undivided attention of an experienced litigator — not a leverage model that puts the most important work in the least experienced hands.
Background
For more than fifteen years before opening this firm, I practiced complex business and commercial litigation at a well-regarded Chicago-area litigation boutique, where I became a named partner. My practice spanned shareholder and partnership disputes, non-compete and trade secret litigation, breach of contract and business tort cases, franchise disputes, and consumer class actions. I have represented clients in Illinois state courts, in federal court, and on appeal.
That range matters. Business disputes rarely stay in one lane — a partnership breakup becomes a fiduciary duty case, which becomes an emergency injunction fight, which becomes a forensic accounting exercise. Having litigated each of those phases many times, I can see the whole board from day one and plan accordingly.
Education & Admissions
- J.D., with Honors, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology — Notes & Comments Editor, Chicago-Kent Law Review
- B.S., University of Wisconsin
- Admitted to the Illinois Bar, 2009
- Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2010
- Member, Illinois State Bar Association
Early in my career I served as a law clerk at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and as a judicial extern at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois — experiences that shaped how I read judges, courtrooms, and opposing counsel.
How I approach cases
Lawsuits are emotionally charged. They are expensive, unpleasant, and stressful, and it is genuinely hard for anyone in the middle of one to see their own case analytically. A large part of my job is helping clients separate the emotion of a dispute from the decisions that need to be made in prosecuting or defending it. Decisions made on emotion are rarely good ones; my role is to bring a business-minded perspective to the circumstances and chart the course that actually serves your interests.
The most rewarding part of this work is straightforward: achieving a result the client is happy with after the whole process plays out. That is the standard I measure every engagement against.
Why a solo firm
Every matter at Austermuehle Law is handled personally, start to finish, by the attorney you hired. You get partner-level judgment on strategy, partner-level drafting on the briefs that decide cases, and a single phone number that reaches the person who actually knows your file. For matters that need additional horsepower — document-heavy discovery, multi-front litigation — I staff up deliberately with trusted co-counsel rather than carrying overhead you pay for whether you need it or not.