Overview

Originally from Williamstown, West Virginia, Matthew attended Wake Forest University where he graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.  In 2011, he graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law, with High Honors.  While in law school, Matthew served as a staff member and editor on the North Carolina Law Review, worked as a judicial intern for Judge James Wynn in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and was a constitutional research assistant for Professor Melissa Saunders.

Matthew is a commercial litigator who has gained insight and experience in the litigation process, and how to achieve optimal results, in large part based on the wide variety of claims he has handled.  He began his litigation career with a focus on financial services and banking law, defending and prosecuting claims against multinational financial institutions in state and federal courts. 

Since expanding his practice, Matthew regularly handles employment disputes, contract disputes, landlord-tenant disputes, trade secret and business torts, and construction litigation.  A significant portion of his practice involves representing real property owners in real estate litigation, ejectment proceedings, lease disputes and negotiations, title disputes, and preemptive guidance and counseling. 

Matthew strives to achieve the best possible outcome in every case, but to also educate his clients to improve their operations and reduce risk moving forward.  His current practice is focused on complex commercial disputes, construction litigation, local government litigation, and real estate law in North Carolina Business Court, North Carolina Superior Courts, United States District Courts, and arbitrations administered by the American Arbitration Association

Outside Maynard Nexsen

Matthew lives in South Charlotte with his wife, son, and two golden retrievers.  He spends his free time building Lego towers and forts with his son, taking his dogs to the park, and, whenever possible, goofing off with his wife. 

Experience

  • Conflicts counsel to court-appointed receiver in an SEC receivership for an international Ponzi and pyramid scheme impacting over a million defrauded investors.
  • Represented national real estate investments trust and North Carolina commercial property owners in landlord-tenant matters, lease disputes, and lease negotiations.
  • Represented large regional general contracting firm in arbitration against a subcontractor, where subcontractor was not paid the contract balance due to damaged caused while on the project. The arbitrator awarded general contractor the full amount of its claimed setoff.
  • Represented local governments in state court litigation and matters of regulatory compliance.
  • Successfully represented a regional IT firm in arbitration against a charter school in a case involving novel application of sovereign immunity defense.
  • Represented multinational manufacturer of packaging for commercial products in a heavily contested dispute with a former vendor. After extensive discovery and numerous amended complaints, the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina granted the manufacturer’s motion to dismiss, dismissing with prejudice all of the vendor’s tort claims. 
  • Successfully won dismissal in trial court and appeal in a case arising from attempts to obtain business incentives from Cabarrus County.
  • Prevailed on interlocutory appeal of trial court’s Rule 12 dismissal of real estate developer’s breach of fiduciary claims against its lender.  The North Carolina Court of Appeal’s reversal was the first state appellate case to hold that a borrower stated a valid breach of fiduciary claim against a lender.

Recognitions

Recognition

University of North Carolina School of Law, 2011, Order of the Coif

North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2022, 2023

North Carolina Law Review, Editorial Board, 2010-2011

Media

News

Admissions

  • State Bar: North Carolina
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