Earlier this year, Bird Marella senior counsel Judge A. Howard Matz (Ret.) was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers. The American College of Trial Lawyers is composed of fellows who represent the best of the trial bar in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. The qualifications for fellowship include a reputation for the highest ethics, professionalism and collegiality, exceptional courtroom trial skills, and at least fifteen years of active trial practice.
Before being appointed as a United States District Judge in 1998, Judge Matz tried dozens of cases covering a wide array of disputes. These included federal criminal (especially white collar and securities fraud) cases; breach of contract cases; a dispute between two large oil companies over responsibility for the collapse of a drilling well; legal malpractice; product liability; and a dispute over the allocation of attorneys’ fees in antitrust cases. Since returning to Bird Marella in late 2013, he has handled two arbitrations and appeared in both federal and state court on other matters, including a pro bono matter scheduled for trial in late 2017.
Congratulations, Howard, as you join the firm’s founding principals Terry W. Bird and Vincent J. Marella as a fellow member.
