Bar Admissions
2016
State of Iowa
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa
Favorite Movie
"The Shawshank Redemption"
Favorite Book
"The Innocent Man", John Grisham
Memberships
Iowa State Bar Association
Iowa Association for Justice
Education
2016
Drake University Law School
Des Moines, Iowa
Juris Doctor with Honors
2013
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa
Bachelor of Science Degree in Business
Major: Accounting
Favorite Teams
Dallas Cowboys Chicago Cubs Iowa Hawkeyes
Favorable Outcomes
- $1,250,000 settlement recovery for client involved in a motor vehicle collision.
- $632,986 verdict following jury trial for a client’s disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation claims against the City of Des Moines.
- $435,000 settlement recovery for client involved in a motor vehicle collision.
- $280,000 verdict following jury trial for a client’s bad-faith claim against his former employer. The client was previously employed as a truck driver and resided in Alabama. After sustaining an injury at work, the client’s former employer required the client to travel from Alabama to Iowa for light-duty work and medical treatment. A lawsuit was filed against the former employer alleging that it had handled the client’s workers’ compensation claim in bad-faith by failing to provide reasonable medical treatment and light-duty work. The jury returned a favorable verdict on these claims and in addition to awarding emotional distress damages, awarded punitive damages based on the former employer’s conduct.
- $404,061.41 verdict following jury trial for client’s personal injury claim arising out of a rear-end collision by an uninsured motorist.
- Favorable resolution of client’s failure to accommodate and wrongful termination claims following his termination from Defendant employer after reporting a workplace injury and requesting reasonable accommodation for his resulting disability.
- $305,000 settlement recovery for client involved in a motor vehicle collision.
- $100,000 bad-faith claim settlement with insurance company arising out of its unreasonable delay in authorizing client’s medical care for his workers’ compensation case.
- Favorable settlement of client’s workers’ compensation claim which equated to more than 55% industrial disability (>275-weeks of benefits), plus Defendant employer agreed to pay for client’s expenses related to his medical treatment.
- $152,500 settlement recovery for on-duty Sheriff’s deputy who was involved in a motor vehicle collision; an additional $60,000 was recovered for client’s workers’ compensation claim.
- Favorable resolution of client’s employment discrimination and constructive discharge claims arising out of Defendant employer’s failure to address client’s reports of hostile work environment based on client’s race.
- $100,000 policy-limits recovery for client involved in a rear-end motor vehicle collision.
- Favorable judgment following hearing on client’s unpaid wage claim. Defendant employer was ordered to pay client’s unpaid wages plus liquidated damages for its intentional withholding. Defendant employer also ordered to pay for client’s attorneys’ fees and court costs. Defendant employer appealed this judgment to District Court.
- Favorable District Court appeal decision following both oral and written argument. District Court further ordered that Defendant employer was required to pay client’s appellate attorneys’ fees in addition to amount awarded in original judgment.
- $135,000 settlement recovery for client involved in a motor vehicle collision.
- Favorable resolution of client’s wrongful termination claim following her termination from Defendant employer after reporting a workplace injury.
- Favorable verdict following jury trial for client’s personal injury claim arising out of a motor vehicle collision. The issues of which driver was responsible for causing the collision and client’s pre-existing medical conditions were fiercely contested by defense attorney at trial.
Matt was born in Des Moines, Iowa on March 7, 1992. He grew up in Ankeny, Iowa, and after graduating high school attended Drake University. While at Drake, Matt studied accounting at the College of Business, and enjoyed working at EMC Insurance and Wells Fargo during summer internships. In May 2013, Matt earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Drake University. Throughout his time at Drake, Matt knew that he wanted to study law and one day be able to advocate for clients in a courtroom. After graduating from Drake in May 2013, that dream got one step closer to reality when Matt began attending Drake University Law School in August of 2013.
During his first year of law school, Matt started working at Spaulding, Berg, & Schmidt, PLC as a law clerk. It was during this time that Matt developed a keen interest in civil litigation work and a desire to represent individuals in need of help. During his third year of law school at Drake, Matt was exposed to his first courtroom experience while working at the Drake Legal Clinic in the criminal defense area. The ability to work with clients while at the Drake Legal Clinic was not only an educational experience for Matt, but a rewarding one as well. Matt advocated avidly for his clients at the Drake Legal Clinic, and was able to successfully resolve his clients’ legal matters to their satisfaction. In May 2016, Matt earned his Juris Doctorate from Drake Law School with Honors and passed the Bar Exam in September 2016.
Matt’s passion is working with individuals in need of legal representation for issues ranging from personal and workplace injuries, bad-faith insurance claim handling, and employment matters such as discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Helping clients navigate these legal issues with competent and compassionate representation is the reason why Matt wanted to become a lawyer and focus his practice on civil litigation. Whether it is advocating for his clients in the courtroom or negotiating a favorable outcome before trial, achieving his client’s desired result is Matt’s first and foremost priority.
In his free time, Matt enjoys exercising, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and cheering on his favorite sports teams – the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Cubs.
At Spaulding & Shaull, we represent our clients passionately and competently."