Matthew S. McNicholas

As California’s most accomplished and fierce advocate for first responders, Partner Matthew McNicholas has built his reputation on one purpose: protecting those who protect us. With more than $150 million in high-impact verdicts and settlements for first responders, Matt has become the go-to attorney for law enforcement officers and firefighters facing discrimination, harassment and retaliation at their agencies. His work extends far beyond the courtroom, driving institutional reform at some of California's most powerful public agencies, including the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department. Matt also serves as Panel Counsel to the Los Angeles Police Protective League and the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. Among his many significant verdicts and active cases, Matt secured a $13.1 million verdict on behalf of two LAPD officers who were discriminated and retaliated against; obtained a $10.1 million verdict against the LAPD on behalf of a Lieutenant who was retaliated and discriminated against when a new Deputy Chief became her supervisor; and currently represents more than 300 L.A. County Probation employees in a mass failure-to-accommodate action; and over 600 undercover LAPD officers whose identities were wrongfully leaked online, endangering their safety and careers. As the head of McNicholas & McNicholas, Matt represents clients in a range of areas, including catastrophic injury, wrongful death, employment law, product liability, sexual assault and other consumer-oriented matters. The firm has been behind some of the state’s most significant matters, including the historic $4 billion settlement between Los Angeles County and 7,000+ victims of sexual abuse at county-run juvenile detention centers and the $13.5 billion settlement with PG&E for wildfire victims. Matt is deeply rooted in the Los Angeles community, as the firm was founded by a family of attorneys spanning three generations. He is dedicated to supporting his community and providing education to the next generation of lawyers, such as McNicholas & McNicholas’ $100,000 scholarship pledge to Loyola Marymount University’s Loyola Law School and paid summer clerkship for high-achieving students. Following the Eaton Fire, Matt donated $100,000 to the UFLAC Relief Foundation to support affected firefighters and their families. He also helped establish multiple scholarships supporting the first responder community, including the UFLAC Education Scholarship, annual Legal Scholarship, and First Responders Education Scholarship, providing more than $90,000 in combined funding each year to students connected to firefighting and public safety. ▪  RAND Institute for Civil Justice Board of Advisors, Member