Matthew R. Kinsman

Associate

Overview

Matthew Kinsman counsels and represents clients on complex business and government relations matters, particularly those involving customs and international trade. Matt’s wide-ranging experience as a federal law clerk, congressional staff member and private sector consultant informs his multifaceted practice.   

Government & Regulatory Affairs Counsel

Matt draws on a sophisticated understanding of the federal legislative, regulatory and legal processes to counsel clients on international trade policy and enforcement in Washington, with an emphasis on import regulations under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA), the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) of 2015, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Matt’s international trade focus extends to policy developments emanating from the European Union and the United Kingdom, particularly in relation to regulations impacting U.S. products and services (including digital service taxes).

Matt previously served on the legislative staff of U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) — a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — where he focused on national policy issues related to defense, foreign affairs, and international trade. Matt also served on the government relations team of an Am Law 100 international firm, where he advocated on behalf of multinational clientele in front of Congress and the executive branch on legislative issues related to defense, international trade and financial regulation.    

Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism

Matt also counsels international clients on compliance matters related to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT), a voluntary supply-chain security program to facilitate the secure and efficient flow of global trade.

Immigration Rights & Election Law

Matt maintains an active pro bono practice, with an emphasis on immigration rights and election law. In 2019, he served on the trial team that won a favorable ruling on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Michigan and individual voters in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a 2011 partisan gerrymander of Michigan's congressional and state legislative maps. The three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan permanently enjoined Michigan from conducting elections based on the unconstitutional districts, finding they were deliberately drawn to favor Republican voters and incumbents and disfavor Democrats. The case is League of Women Voters v. Benson.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

Indiana

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Clerkships

U.S. District Court for the Nothern District of Indiana, Hon. Theresa Springmann, 2014-2016

Languages

French
Spanish

Education

University of Minnesota Law School
J.D. magna cum laude (2014)

University of Maine
B.A. in Journalism, magna cum laude (2006)

Insights & Events

Other Perspectives
  • Ethical Challenges for Employee Benefits Professionals
    Co-presenter with Gayle Skolnik, Philip Gutwein and Stephanie Boxell, Luncheon Meeting of the Indiana Benefits Conference, Indianapolis, November 2018
  • Chapter 11: When Misappropriation Becomes Criminal
    Contributing Author, The Secrets to Winning Trade Secret Cases, Thomson West, 2016

Leadership & Community

Pro Bono

  • National Immigrant Justice Center
  • Justice for Veterans Initiative
  • The Promise of Justice Initiative — Jim Crow Juries Project

Professional Associations

  • Seventh Circuit Bar Association — Liaison for the Northern District of Indiana

Honors

  • Super Lawyers — Rising Star (2021) 
  • Indiana Super Lawyers — Rising Star, 2021-23
  • Faegre Drinker — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2020-23
  • Faegre Baker Daniels – Recipient of Baker Benson award for outstanding pro bono service (2019); Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2017-19
  • University of Minnesota Law School — Harold Will Cox Award for Best Oral Arguments, Maynard Pirsig Oral Honors Tournament, 2012-13; Awards for Best Brief and Best Oral Arguments, Minnesota Appellate Advocacy Competition, 2013; Selected to the University of Minnesota Law School’s ABA National Appellate Advocacy Team, 2014
Awards Methodology
No aspect of these recognitions has been approved by the highest court of any state.
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