Austin received his J.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts School of Law. He served on the executive board for the mock trial team, of which he was a founding member. He was also a member of the Delta Theta Phi law fraternity. He was awarded a B.A. degree from the University of Rhode Island in secondary education with a concentration in English.

While in law school, Austin worked as a high school English teacher. He served as chairperson of his school’s accreditation committee and was responsible for curriculum writing and development. Austin is also an avid runner and cyclist.