Matthew joined The Matian Firm in 2024. As a dedicated criminal defense attorney, he has a steadfast belief in rigorous advocacy. Matthew navigates legal challenges with expertise and integrity and strives to ensure every client receives personalized attention.
Matthew was raised in rural Northeast Texas. Following high school, he attended the University of Texas at Arlington as a first-generation college student and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. After graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was trained as an Interrogator. In 2006, Matthew deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During his deployment, he conducted missions to collect intelligence on the Taliban to help protect U.S. Soldiers and Afghan civilians. Matthew completed five years of active-duty enlisted service as a Sergeant (E5). He later returned to Afghanistan for the Department of Defense. He spent another year collecting in-depth information on criminal, economic, cultural, and terrorist networks.
While deployed in Afghanistan, Matthew became very interested in criminal and international law and decided to pursue a legal career. Upon his return, he attended the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge from 2011 to 2014. Matthew was able to focus on his legal fields of interest and gain invaluable experience interning for the Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Executive Counsel of Louisiana, and a private criminal defense firm while studying at LSU. He earned both a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Diploma of Comparative Law (D.C.L.).
After law school, Matthew returned to North Texas as a Prosecutor in the Hunt County Attorney’s Office. He handled misdemeanors, protective orders, mental commitments, and juvenile offenders until he was notified of his acceptance into the prestigious U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. Matthew returned to active duty in 2016.
From 2016 to 2019 and proceeded to develop extensive legal experience resolving civil law issues such as race and gender discrimination complaints, sexual harassment, divorce, child support, child custody issues, and landlord/tenant disputes. From 2019 to 2022 Matthew was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. While there he prosecuted felony cases in Military court and was selected to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to prosecute Fort Bliss criminal cases in Federal Court.
In 2022, the Army moved Matthew to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From 2022 through 2024, Matthew was a defense counsel for the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service. In this role, he defended Military Service members in complex trials for felony and misdemeanor charges including rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, violations of Army regulations, and drug use. Matthew also represented Servicemembers in administrative proceedings to defend their rights to maintain retirement and veteran benefits.
As a defense attorney, Matthew continues to demonstrate an outstanding courtroom presence. His confidence and legal expertise gain the respect of clients, courtroom staff, and jurors. Matthew’s rapport in the courtroom gets successful trial results in cases where clients face life sentences and life altering consequences.