Victor John Simonds Austin

With over 20 years in State and Local Tax, Victor litigates disputes in sales and use tax, franchise tax, and various other tax matters. 

Before joining Ryan Law, Victor litigated state tax disputes at the administrative hearing level and then served as a Master Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). In the fourteen years Victor served as an ALJ at SOAH, he wrote over 1,200 Proposals for Decision on tax matters and presided over hearings involving other state agencies as well.

When Victor left SOAH to rejoin the Comptroller’s office, he served as Chief Counsel for Tax Resolutions. In that capacity, he helped establish the Hearing-Bypass process pursuant to legislation that was adopted by the state in 2021. Victor, who is also a certified mediator, worked to successfully resolve or partially resolve over 40% of the refund claims that utilized that pathway.

For over 20 years, Victor also served Texas citizens as an attorney for the Texas Legal Hotline. At the Legal Hotline, Victor provided senior citizens legal information and advice on issues ranging from government benefits (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security), to bankruptcy and consumer law, and in preparation of wills and various other end-of-life documents.

Victor is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Administrative Law.

“Being a member of the Ryan Law team allows me to zealously represent clients by applying the knowledge and perspective that I have gained in the course of a varied legal career.”