(213) 542-5709
MMcaleer@chwlaw.us
Matthew is Senior Counsel in the firm’s litigation practice group and is based in its Pasadena office. Matthew has over 14 years of experience representing California public entities and their employees in a broad range of civil litigation matters in state and federal courts.
Matthew’s practice focuses on municipal and public agency defense, with particular depth in civil rights litigation, Proposition 218 and municipal revenue law, state court writ practice, and appellate work. His recent matters include a Fourth District Court of Appeal case involving the constitutionality of a utility users’ tax under Propositions 13, 218, and 26, a bifurcated bench trial in Riverside County arising from a complex affordable housing settlement enforcement dispute, constitutional challenges to special legislation under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, and federal civil rights defense for cities in the Central and Northern Districts of California. Matthew has also briefed matters before the California Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit.
Before joining CHW, Matthew was a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, where he managed a docket of federal civil rights cases defending the City and LAPD officers against claims of excessive force, unlawful search and seizure, and First and Fourth Amendment violations. During his time at the City Attorney’s Office, Matthew obtained a defense verdict as lead trial counsel and secured favorable rulings on motions for summary judgment and other dispositive motions across numerous matters.
Prior to that, Matthew was an associate at Collinson Greco in Torrance, where he defended law enforcement agencies and officers in excessive force and police misconduct cases and represented private clients in premises and products liability matters.
Matthew received his J.D. from Southwestern Law School in 2011, where he was designated a Dean’s Scholar and received Witkin Awards for Academic Excellence in Torts, Constitutional Law, and California Community Property Law. While in law school, Matthew interned at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Network, where he advocated for LGBT civil rights and the rights of those living with HIV, and at the Children’s Rights Clinic, where he assisted students in school discipline and special education disputes.
When not at work, you will find Matthew soaking in all that Southern California has to offer — from movies to concerts to any manner of outdoor adventure.