Matthew graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1986 with a combined law/commerce degree. He is an Accredited Specialist in commercial litigation and is very experienced in commercial litigation, debt recovery and insolvency law.  He has previously been managing partner of boutique litigation law firms in Melbourne and joined Hicks & Oakley in October 2002 and was made a Partner in February 2003. Matthew heads the litigation division and handles all areas of litigation & dispute resolution including:

• contractual disputes
• intellectual property disputes
• personal injury claims
• insolvency and debt recovery
• employment law issues, eg restraint of trade clauses, termination

Matthew is a member of the Litigation Lawyers Section of the Law Institute of Victoria. He attends all courts for pre-hearing conferences, directions hearings and mediations and is a skilled negotiator. He welcomes the opportunity to give presentations on all aspects of court procedures and the litigation process. He believes in systems and strategy for the conduct of litigation and is aware of the potential for the cost of litigation to become disproportionate to the best possible outcome.

Matthew's other interests include piano playing, soccer, football, rowing and cricket.