Overview
Government Affairs and Regulatory Experience
Matt draws on a sophisticated understanding of the federal legislative and regulatory processes to advance clients’ government affairs goals. 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, international trade, and veterans affairs. 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.
Voting Rights and Election Law
Matt maintains an active pro bono practice, with an emphasis on Constitutional voting rights. Most recently, 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.
Services & Industries
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
Latest
Insights
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
- 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