Matthew Carter

Matthew’s service as an Illinois Supreme Court law clerk, and his appointments as a Special Assistant Attorney General in Illinois and Deputy Special Prosecutor in Cook County, have provided him with invaluable experience in his complex trial and appellate litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and corporate internal investigation practice.

Using his clerkship experience, he has handled and argued several cases before the Supreme Court of Illinois and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and obtained important, precedent-setting decisions in favor of his clients in both courts.

Matthew has extensive trial experience, including joining major matters just as they approach trial. In October 2022, in a case he joined after the completion of discovery, he helped secure a US$104.65M jury verdict for Versata Software, Inc. in a breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation case against Ford Motor Co. in Detroit, Michigan. Matthew examined the primary breach of contract witnesses as well as the parties’ damages experts. Ultimately, eight jurors unanimously sided with Versata on each of its three breach claims and three of its four trade secret claims. The jury also rejected Ford’s breach of contract counterclaim. The win earned the team a first runner-up spot in Am Law’s “Litigator of the Week” column. Ford moved for judgment as a matter-of-law post-trial. The district court denied Ford’s motion as to liability but overturned the jury’s findings on damages. This matter is on appeal.

In January 2025, Matthew co-led a team that achieved a significant victory by securing the dismissal of US$300M in claims against the former board of managers of Verano Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Verano Holdings Corp., one of the nation's largest publicly traded cannabis companies. This dismissal with prejudice in the Delaware Court of Chancery earned Matthew a mention in Am Law’s “Litigator of the Week” column.

Matthew also prosecutes and defends companies and individuals in significant defamation matters throughout the country. Sometimes these matters resolve short of active litigation, and sometimes they do not; Matthew has experience in both settings. For example, he was second chair in the defense of Fox News Network, LLC’s dispute with Dominion Voting Systems in Delaware Superior Court, a highly-publicized matter that resolved in court minutes before opening statements. He also represented Northwestern University’s former head coach, Patrick Fitzgerald, as the plaintiff in a defamation and breach of contract matter that resolved to Coach Fitzgerald’s satisfaction at the close of fact discovery and just a few months short of trial. This case too was the subject of major media attention—after the matter settled, the Chicago Tribune’s Editorial Board described Fitzgerald’s legal team as “legal wildcats.”   

Matthew’s investigative experience includes conducting national and international corporate internal investigations on behalf of several private clients. He has handled investigations and litigation related to government and regulatory matters, including matters brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Attorneys General, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). He has represented clients dealing with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) charges and compliance requiring investigative work throughout the world, including in Russia and India.

Currently, Matthew is serving, by appointment, a three-year term as a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Illinois Evidence. This 14-member committee is responsible for the monitor, review, and study of Illinois Supreme Court cases that impact evidence law generally and the Illinois Rules of Evidence specifically. Previously, he was appointed to the role of Special Assistant Attorney General to represent the Department of State Police of the State of Illinois. This representation resulted in a court order accomplishing the objective of the State Police—the maintenance of the confidentiality of its Firearm Owners Identification database. Matthew has also served as a Deputy Special Prosecutor in Cook County, Illinois for an investigation that generated significant media interest, which required the interview of 146 witnesses, a review of 300,000 documents, and resulted in the publication of a 162-page report.

Matthew is also serving as a member of the Illinois Judicial Conference (2025-2027), an organization created “to consider the work of the courts, to suggest improvements in the administration of justice, and to make recommendations for the improvement of the courts.”