Overview
Matt advises and defends schools and employers in a broad range of workplace-related matters, including discrimination and harassment claims, wage and hour compliance, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) issues, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, and employment terminations. Matt regularly represents employers in proceedings relating to wrongful termination, retaliation, civil rights, and compliance with federal and state employment laws. His experience also includes regulatory investigations, FERPA, policy development, and employee discipline.
In his education practice, Matt advises independent schools and institutions of higher education in Maine, New Hampshire and elsewhere on a wide array of issues, including student discipline and student conduct matters, faculty and staff employment matters, internal investigations, FERPA compliance, supporting students with disabilities, policy development, and governance-related concerns. He also represents schools and institutions before courts and government agencies on claims arising from various aspects of education and employment law. Matt works closely with school leadership and boards on sensitive matters involving student and employee conduct, disability accommodations, and compliance with evolving legal requirements. He also assists schools in developing and updating employment and student-facing policies to reflect best practices and regulatory changes.
Matt has experience assisting schools and institutions with regulatory inquiries and agency investigations in the Maine and U.S. Departments of Education, as well as advising educational institutions on risk mitigation and institutional response. He regularly supports schools through challenging personnel and student-related matters that require careful judgment, discretion, and a deep understanding of the school environment. Matt also helps develop and delivers trainings for school administrators, faculty, and staff that are tailored to the unique cultures and operational realities of K-12 schools and higher education institutions. Trainings can include a variety of education-specific and workplace topics, such as harassment prevention, employee discipline and documentation, student privacy, mandated reporting obligations, and best practices for responding to student and employee misconduct.
Before joining Fisher Phillips, Matt was an associate at a regional law firm where he represented schools and employers in complex labor and employment matters spanning education law, wage and hour compliance, and harassment and discrimination issues, and a law clerk for a U.S. Magistrate Judge.