Brandy Austin
Top rated Personal Injury attorney in Arlington, Texas
Practice Areas:
Family law,
Closely held business,
Estate planning & probate,
Animal bites,
Brain injury,
Child support,
Custody & visitation,
Divorce,
Premises liability - plaintiff,
Same sex family law,
Trucking accidents,
Trusts,
Wills,
Wrongful death
Education Qualification:
Baylor University School of Law
Practice Areas:
Family law,
Closely held business,
Estate planning & probate,
Animal bites,
Brain injury,
Child support,
Custody & visitation,
Divorce,
Premises liability - plaintiff,
Same sex family law,
Trucking accidents,
Trusts,
Wills,
Wrongful death
2404 Roosevelt DriveArlington, Texas, 76016
First Admitted: 2008, Texas
Professional Webpage: http://brandyaustinlaw.com/team/brandy-m-austin/
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Texas Bar College, 2022
- Tarrant County Trial Lawyers, Board of Directors
- Board of Directors, Tarrant County Bar Association , 2016
- Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association, 2014
- Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Member
- Tarrant County Bar Association, 2014
- Professionals Serving Seniors, 2015
- Arlington Bar Association, 2016
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
- This case arose from a 2021 blog written by Baylee "Bay" Higginbotham (they/them) detailing their experiences working in a hair salon owned by the plaintiff, Alejandro "Ale" Bonilla. Brandy Austin Law Firm represented Bay after they experienced retaliation from Mr. Bonilla due to the contents of the blog. In their blog, Bay recounted their experiences dealing with Mr. Bonilla’s sexually exploitative behavior and the details of their coerced sexual relationship, along with the experiences of multiple additional anonymous authors. Bay indicated that this type of behavior in the hair styling industry was pervasive, and that Bay was not the only victim of Mr. Bonilla’s attention. The blog alleges that Mr. Bonilla habitually dated people younger than him—particularly women aged 19-22 years old—and used his position of power as a salon owner to coerce them into sexual relationships. As a form of retaliation against Bay and this blog, Mr. Bonilla filed a lawsuit for defamation against them, claiming the blog was simply a “hate campaign” and the alleged relationships and coercion were false. As the case progressed, Mr. Bonilla and his counsel launched a barrage of spiteful personal attacks on Bay and their legal team, including vile insults about Ms. Austin herself. This onslaught continued for years, with the Court having to reprimand Mr. Bonilla and his counsel for this behavior on multiple occasions. These petty, personal attacks served no purpose but to belittle and browbeat Bay and the Brandy Austin Law Firm into capitulating to the demands in the suit, and to disrespect and discredit the judicial process as a whole. Ms. Austin and Bay stood firm against them. A two-week trial began on May 13, 2024 in the 153rd District Court of Tarrant County, with Attorney Brandy Austin, Attorney Justin Wood, and Paralegal Trey Spencer appearing to defend Bay against this retaliation. Over the course of the trial, Ms. Austin and Mr. Wood presented evidence demonstrating that Mr. Bonilla had a well-known reputation of sexual predation in the DFW hairstyling community, and that Bay was the first to break their silence and publicly stand up to him. He had advertised services to children using sexually-charged campaigns and preyed on potential romantic partners barely out of their teens. Bay’s blog highlighted facts which were already well known, but which people had been afraid to speak up about. And as such, Mr. Bonilla’s reputation was tarnished well before Bay began posting anything on their blog. Ms. Austin and Mr. Wood questioned over a dozen witnesses, many of whom were salon ex-employees who affirmed Bay's allegations and who testified as to their own negative experiences with Mr. Bonilla. Ultimately, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in Bay’s favor. The blog will remain online, and Bonilla will recover nothing from Bay. The case is notable within the context of the #MeToo climate, and the jury verdict is a testament to the success of Ms. Austin and her legal team. The Brandy Austin Law Firm won—even with the odds stacked against them, in a conservative county, defending a marginalized community member against someone in a significant position of power., 2024
Videos:
- Videos, 2015
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 2014
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 2013
- State Bar of Texas, 2008
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 2014
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Leading Edge of Leadership Fort Worth, Member
- Center for Transforming Lives, Board Shadow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- YMCA, Cooper Street, Board of Directors
- Cemetery Board, Burleson, Texas
Honors/Awards:
- AVVO Top Attorney Award
- Top 100, America's Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys, 2022
- Top 100, The National Trial Lawyers, 2021
- Top 10 Attorney Award Under 40, National Academy Of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2016
- Coach of National Client Counseling Team, Baylor Law School
- Dean’s List, East Carolina University
- Attorney General, East Carolina University Judicial Board, East Carolina University
- Member, Gamma Beta Phi, East Carolina University
- Chancellor’s List, East Carolina University
- Fort Worth Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine, 2023
- 10 Best Client Satisfaction, American Institute of Legal Counsel, 2015
- Chair of the Alumni Committee for Phi Alpha Delta, Baylor Law School
- High A; Family Rights Litigation, Baylor Law School
- First Generation College Graduate, East Carolina University
- Scholar for Council on Legal Education Opportunity, East Carolina University
- National Society of Collegiate Scholars, East Carolina University
- Top 10% of Graduating Class, East Carolina University
- Dean’s List, Baylor Law School
- Finalist, Naman Howell Smith and Lee Interscholastic Client Counseling Competition, Baylor Law School
- Participant, Strasburger & Price Moot Court Competition, Baylor Law School
- Recipient, Carlton-Troutman Scholarship for Political Science, East Carolina University
- Treasurer of Phi Alpha Delta, East Carolina University
- Member, East Carolina Honors Organization, East Carolina University
Educational Background:
- East Carolina University, B.A. magna cum laude, Major: English & Political Science, 2005
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Quarterly Family Law Newsletter, April, 2009
- Cemetery of Roses, Nonfiction, Rebel: 47., 2005
- Uneaten Birthday Cake, Fiction, Rebel: 47., 2005
- At the End of the Dirt Road, Original play performed at Emerge Art Gallery, 2005
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