Matthew is a trial attorney in the litigation group. His practice focuses on high stakes commercial, employee benefits, and employment disputes with an emphasis on the defense of class, representative and multiparty actions.

Matthew has broad litigation and counseling experience involving pension and OPEB issues under the CERL, PERL and city retirement systems and, as part of this practice, frequently provides risk management advice to public agencies on the government claims procedures and defenses, as well as on Brown Act and Public Records Act issues. Matthew also counsels plan sponsors, plan administrators and fiduciaries in administrative appeals and defends them in ERISA litigation.

Matthew’s commercial litigation practice focuses on the representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in complex business disputes involving contract, fiduciary, fraud, negligence, unfair competition and trade secret claims and he regularly defends companies in lawsuits and arbitrations brought under California’s consumer protection statutes. Matthew has also defended employers in wrongful termination, disability discrimination, and wage and hour litigation and represented them in connection with labor relations matters.

Matthew maintains an active pro bono practice and recently served as a working group member to the Blue Ribbon Panel on Fairness and Accountability in Law Enforcement which investigated allegations of racial and other bias in the San Francisco Police Department.

Bar Admissions

• California
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Education
J.D., Tax Law Concentration, University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2012)
B.A., cum laude, Gonzaga University (2009)

Professional Associations

• Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Northern California Chapter, Leadership Development Committee Member (2019 â?? Present)
• Contra Costa County Bar Association

Professional Activities and Experience
Accolades

• Northern California Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2022)
• California Lawyers Association, Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Legal Services Award (2020)

"New California Court of Appeal Decision Upholds Decisions Made By County Retirement System During Great Recession," Litigation Law Alert (December 2021)
"California Supreme Court Upholds Pension Reform Changes As Constitutional," co-author, Employee Benefits Law Alert (July 2020)
"Ignorance Is Bliss (If You Are an ERISA Plaintiff)," co-author, Employee Benefits Alert (February 2020)
"Court Upholds Plan Administrator's Interpretation in Recent ERISA Case," co-author, Employee Benefits Law Alert (September 2019)
"Courts Split On Pension Vested Rights Analysis," co-author, Employee Benefits Alert (March 2018)
"Montanile: A Cautionary Tale For ERISA Plans," co-author, Litigation & Dispute Resolution Alert (January 2016)
"Proposed E-Discovery Rule To Test Document Retention Policies," co-author, Litigation & Dispute Resolution Law Alert (May 2015)

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