An accomplished and respected trial lawyer, Mr. Matz specializes in complex civil litigation of all kinds, white collar criminal defense, and governmental and internal investigations of corporations and other entities.
Mr. Matz is highly experienced in all phases of litigation. He represents individuals and companies as plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses in sophisticated, high-stakes matters.
Most recently, Mr. Matz won a complete defense victory in a civil jury trial on behalf of a Fortune 500 corporation. The company’s general counsel praised him for being “always in control, giving impeccable guidance throughout, and being prepared for everything thrown our way. I was confident every day in our ability to handle anything, and as an in-house counsel, that is an incredible gift.” Other corporate clients commend Mr. Matz for his ability to “handle the matter brilliantly. No matter what was thrown at him, Jeremy understood the issues swiftly, led the way through the land mines of the investigation, and gave us excellent legal and strategic advice. It has been an absolute pleasure working with him — a more responsive, intelligent and skilled lawyer one could not hope to have by your side.”
In criminal cases, clients acclaim Mr. Matz for “keeping me well informed, educating me throughout his time as my counsel, not jumping to conclusions, keeping his trust and faith in me as a client, and never steering me in a direction without meaningful purpose. He made sure I always understood the options and always treated me with the utmost respect. Because of that, I placed complete trust in him. His temperament is even-keeled. I believe he was the difference-maker. At times, I felt like I was in an impossible situation, but Jeremy’s persistence paid off for me.” Mr. Matz is lauded for being “not only a great and competent attorney, but also a great human being. I could not have asked for a better person to guide me through this difficult time of my life.”
Before joining Bird Marella, Mr. Matz served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles for thirteen years. At the United States Attorney’s Office, he prosecuted nearly every kind of federal criminal case, including white collar offenses, money laundering, corruption, violent crime, and cybercrime. For more than eleven years, he specialized in prosecuting sophisticated economic crimes, including securities and corporate fraud, mortgage fraud, health care fraud, tax evasion, bank fraud, and investor fraud. As the lead trial and appellate attorney, he won convictions in more than ten jury trials and briefed and argued multiple cases in the Court of Appeals, resulting in favorable published appellate decisions. Mr. Matz garnered praise from fellow prosecutors as “one of the most meticulous attorneys to work in the office”, “a first-rate lawyer with excellent judgment”, and a “very strategic and very thorough attorney on every case.” He served as the Securities Fraud Coordinator, supervised new prosecutors, and won awards from several federal law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Matz also serves as a Lecturer In Law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he teaches evidence to second- and third-year law students. He is acclaimed for his “exceptional knowledge of the rules of evidence” and for “bringing the real world to the classroom.”
Mr. Matz speaks fluent Portuguese and has given presentations on criminal law to judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials in Brazil and Mozambique.
Best Lawyers in America, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2016-present
Southern California Super Lawyers, Los Angeles Magazine, 2015-present
Securities Fraud Coordinator, United States Attorney’s Office, 2011-2012
Integrity, Commitment, and Outstanding Service Award, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, 2010
Dedication and Excellence Award, United States Postal Inspection Service, 2005
Outstanding Service Award, United States Attorney’s Office, 2004
Award for Demonstrated Excellence, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2002
Mr. Matz maintains a diverse and successful law practice. He resolves many of his clients’ civil and criminal disputes in a confidential and private manner. His noteworthy accomplishments include the following:
Mr. Matz won a total defense victory in a four-week jury trial on behalf of a Fortune 500 company. Eighteen plaintiffs claimed wrongful termination and sought damages in the multi-millions of dollars. After the plaintiffs presented their case-in-chief, the Court entered judgment for the company before the case ever reached the jury for deliberations.
Mr. Matz convinced a task force of California state prosecutors not to charge his client, a chief operating officer of a successful internet company.
Mr. Matz negotiated a favorable settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that enabled his client, an accounting and auditing firm, to remain successfully in business.
In a federal criminal case involving embezzlement from a publicly-traded company, Mr. Matz won a sentence of straight probation and no restitution for his client, the former chief accountant of the company.
Mr. Matz won a highly favorable settlement for his client, a chief executive officer, after the company breached the client’s employment contract.
In a Texas state court civil case, Mr. Matz won summary judgment for his client, an executive of a global oil company.
In a federal criminal case involving customs fraud and money laundering, Mr. Matz won a sentence of straight probation, no restitution, and no fine for his client.
In a civil case brought by the federal government under the False Claims Act, Mr. Matz won a highly favorable settlement on behalf of his corporate client for less than 4% of the government’s claimed damages.
In a federal criminal case involving gratuities paid to a public official, Mr. Matz won a sentence of straight probation for his client.
After Mr. Matz delivered his opening statement and cross-examined the first prosecution witness in a state court criminal trial against his client, the prosecution abandoned the case entirely.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won the convictions of eleven defendants in one of the largest mortgage fraud cases in California history. After a six-week jury trial, the Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions of a real estate agent and an appraiser on fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy charges. United States v. Grasso, 724 F.3d 1077 (9th Cir. 2013); United States v. Rizk, 660 F.3d 1125 (9th Cir. 2011).
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a conviction of Ralphs Grocery Company, one of the largest grocery chains in the nation, which paid a total of $70 million in restitution and fines for felonies committed during a labor dispute.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a guilty plea to securities and investor fraud from the founder and CEO of a NASDAQ-listed media company with a $100 million market capitalization.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a jury trial against a licensed medical doctor in a $1 million fraudulent Medicare billing scheme.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a four-week jury trial in a sophisticated bank fraud, false identity, and money laundering conspiracy. Two spouses were convicted on all counts in a scheme to defraud banks of millions of dollars and launder the money into high-end luxury homes.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won guilty pleas to fraud and money laundering from a defendant who defrauded hundreds of investors out of their life savings in a $26 million international Ponzi scheme.
Principal Jeremy Matz and associate Ray Seilie prevailed in a four-week jury trial on behalf of their client, a Fortune 500 information technology consulting services company, in a multi-million dollar wrongful termination lawsuit brought by eighteen Plaintiffs. The Plaintiffs, former employees of a healthcare company that hired Bird Marella’s client ...
Bird Marella is proud to recognize the attorneys who have been selected for inclusion in the 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list: Terry W. Bird – Criminal Defense: White Collar, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation Joel E. Boxer – Business Litigation, Estate & Trust Litigation Paul S. Chan – Business Litigation, ...
14 Bird Marella principals have been recognized and selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly 5 million votes on the legal abilities of other ...
In a major high-impact pro bono case, principal Jeremy Matz and attorneys from several pro bono legal firms won a victory for low-income tenants displaced from residential motels by municipal action in the City of Costa Mesa. The City and a local developer agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle a pair ...
Bird Marella congratulates Thomas Reichert and Ariel Neuman as Southern California Super Lawyers. In total, 14 Bird Marella attorneys were selected as Super Lawyers for 2018: Terry W. Bird – Criminal Defense: White Collar, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation (Top 100) Sharon Ben-Shahar Mayer – Business Litigation, Criminal Defense: White Collar Joel E. Boxer – Business ...
U.S. News – Best Lawyers® has ranked Bird Marella among the 2018 “Best Law Firms” in Los Angeles with a Tier 1 ranking in the practice areas of White Collar Criminal Defense, Commercial Litigation, and Trust & Estates. The firm also achieved a Tier 3 ranking in Environmental Law. The ...
A legal brief signed by Bird Marella principal Jeremy Matz recently was quoted in an article by The Hollywood Reporter on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad forfeiture cases. The 1MDB forefeiture cases is the largest civil forfeiture litigation that has ever been brought by the United States Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery ...
Bird Marella attorneys Julian Burns and Jeremy Matz alongside co-counsel won a permanent writ of mandate against a motel owner’s Costa Mesa luxury housing project on Thursday. Back in early 2016, Julian and the Western Center on Law & Poverty began representing several impoverished long-term residents of a Costa Mesa ...
Bird Marella is proud to recognize the attorneys who have been selected for inclusion in the 2017 Southern California Super Lawyers list: Terry W. Bird – Criminal Defense: White Collar, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation Sharon Ben-Shahar Mayer – Business Litigation, Criminal Defense: White Collar Joel E. Boxer – Business Litigation, ...
12 Bird Marella principals have been recognized and selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2017 edition of the Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly 5 million votes on the legal abilities of ...
Author, “How Your Client Can Get An Evidentiary ‘Pass’ For His Alleged Prior Misconduct,” The Federal Lawyer, April 2014
An accomplished and respected trial lawyer, Mr. Matz specializes in complex civil litigation of all kinds, white collar criminal defense, and governmental and internal investigations of corporations and other entities.
Mr. Matz is highly experienced in all phases of litigation. He represents individuals and companies as plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses in sophisticated, high-stakes matters.
Most recently, Mr. Matz won a complete defense victory in a civil jury trial on behalf of a Fortune 500 corporation. The company’s general counsel praised him for being “always in control, giving impeccable guidance throughout, and being prepared for everything thrown our way. I was confident every day in our ability to handle anything, and as an in-house counsel, that is an incredible gift.” Other corporate clients commend Mr. Matz for his ability to “handle the matter brilliantly. No matter what was thrown at him, Jeremy understood the issues swiftly, led the way through the land mines of the investigation, and gave us excellent legal and strategic advice. It has been an absolute pleasure working with him — a more responsive, intelligent and skilled lawyer one could not hope to have by your side.”
In criminal cases, clients acclaim Mr. Matz for “keeping me well informed, educating me throughout his time as my counsel, not jumping to conclusions, keeping his trust and faith in me as a client, and never steering me in a direction without meaningful purpose. He made sure I always understood the options and always treated me with the utmost respect. Because of that, I placed complete trust in him. His temperament is even-keeled. I believe he was the difference-maker. At times, I felt like I was in an impossible situation, but Jeremy’s persistence paid off for me.” Mr. Matz is lauded for being “not only a great and competent attorney, but also a great human being. I could not have asked for a better person to guide me through this difficult time of my life.”
Before joining Bird Marella, Mr. Matz served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles for thirteen years. At the United States Attorney’s Office, he prosecuted nearly every kind of federal criminal case, including white collar offenses, money laundering, corruption, violent crime, and cybercrime. For more than eleven years, he specialized in prosecuting sophisticated economic crimes, including securities and corporate fraud, mortgage fraud, health care fraud, tax evasion, bank fraud, and investor fraud. As the lead trial and appellate attorney, he won convictions in more than ten jury trials and briefed and argued multiple cases in the Court of Appeals, resulting in favorable published appellate decisions. Mr. Matz garnered praise from fellow prosecutors as “one of the most meticulous attorneys to work in the office”, “a first-rate lawyer with excellent judgment”, and a “very strategic and very thorough attorney on every case.” He served as the Securities Fraud Coordinator, supervised new prosecutors, and won awards from several federal law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Matz also serves as a Lecturer In Law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he teaches evidence to second- and third-year law students. He is acclaimed for his “exceptional knowledge of the rules of evidence” and for “bringing the real world to the classroom.”
Mr. Matz speaks fluent Portuguese and has given presentations on criminal law to judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials in Brazil and Mozambique.
Mr. Matz maintains a diverse and successful law practice. He resolves many of his clients’ civil and criminal disputes in a confidential and private manner. His noteworthy accomplishments include the following:
Mr. Matz won a total defense victory in a four-week jury trial on behalf of a Fortune 500 company. Eighteen plaintiffs claimed wrongful termination and sought damages in the multi-millions of dollars. After the plaintiffs presented their case-in-chief, the Court entered judgment for the company before the case ever reached the jury for deliberations.
Mr. Matz convinced a task force of California state prosecutors not to charge his client, a chief operating officer of a successful internet company.
Mr. Matz negotiated a favorable settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that enabled his client, an accounting and auditing firm, to remain successfully in business.
In a federal criminal case involving embezzlement from a publicly-traded company, Mr. Matz won a sentence of straight probation and no restitution for his client, the former chief accountant of the company.
Mr. Matz won a highly favorable settlement for his client, a chief executive officer, after the company breached the client’s employment contract.
In a Texas state court civil case, Mr. Matz won summary judgment for his client, an executive of a global oil company.
In a federal criminal case involving customs fraud and money laundering, Mr. Matz won a sentence of straight probation, no restitution, and no fine for his client.
In a civil case brought by the federal government under the False Claims Act, Mr. Matz won a highly favorable settlement on behalf of his corporate client for less than 4% of the government’s claimed damages.
In a federal criminal case involving gratuities paid to a public official, Mr. Matz won a sentence of straight probation for his client.
After Mr. Matz delivered his opening statement and cross-examined the first prosecution witness in a state court criminal trial against his client, the prosecution abandoned the case entirely.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won the convictions of eleven defendants in one of the largest mortgage fraud cases in California history. After a six-week jury trial, the Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions of a real estate agent and an appraiser on fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy charges. United States v. Grasso, 724 F.3d 1077 (9th Cir. 2013); United States v. Rizk, 660 F.3d 1125 (9th Cir. 2011).
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a conviction of Ralphs Grocery Company, one of the largest grocery chains in the nation, which paid a total of $70 million in restitution and fines for felonies committed during a labor dispute.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a guilty plea to securities and investor fraud from the founder and CEO of a NASDAQ-listed media company with a $100 million market capitalization.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a jury trial against a licensed medical doctor in a $1 million fraudulent Medicare billing scheme.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won a four-week jury trial in a sophisticated bank fraud, false identity, and money laundering conspiracy. Two spouses were convicted on all counts in a scheme to defraud banks of millions of dollars and launder the money into high-end luxury homes.
As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Matz won guilty pleas to fraud and money laundering from a defendant who defrauded hundreds of investors out of their life savings in a $26 million international Ponzi scheme.
Principal Jeremy Matz and associate Ray Seilie prevailed in a four-week jury trial on behalf of their client, a Fortune 500 information technology consulting services company, in a multi-million dollar wrongful termination lawsuit brought by eighteen Plaintiffs. The Plaintiffs, former employees of a healthcare company that hired Bird Marella’s client ...
Bird Marella is proud to recognize the attorneys who have been selected for inclusion in the 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list: Terry W. Bird – Criminal Defense: White Collar, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation Joel E. Boxer – Business Litigation, Estate & Trust Litigation Paul S. Chan – Business Litigation, ...
14 Bird Marella principals have been recognized and selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly 5 million votes on the legal abilities of other ...
In a major high-impact pro bono case, principal Jeremy Matz and attorneys from several pro bono legal firms won a victory for low-income tenants displaced from residential motels by municipal action in the City of Costa Mesa. The City and a local developer agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle a pair ...
Bird Marella congratulates Thomas Reichert and Ariel Neuman as Southern California Super Lawyers. In total, 14 Bird Marella attorneys were selected as Super Lawyers for 2018: Terry W. Bird – Criminal Defense: White Collar, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation (Top 100) Sharon Ben-Shahar Mayer – Business Litigation, Criminal Defense: White Collar Joel E. Boxer – Business ...
U.S. News – Best Lawyers® has ranked Bird Marella among the 2018 “Best Law Firms” in Los Angeles with a Tier 1 ranking in the practice areas of White Collar Criminal Defense, Commercial Litigation, and Trust & Estates. The firm also achieved a Tier 3 ranking in Environmental Law. The ...
A legal brief signed by Bird Marella principal Jeremy Matz recently was quoted in an article by The Hollywood Reporter on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad forfeiture cases. The 1MDB forefeiture cases is the largest civil forfeiture litigation that has ever been brought by the United States Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery ...
Bird Marella attorneys Julian Burns and Jeremy Matz alongside co-counsel won a permanent writ of mandate against a motel owner’s Costa Mesa luxury housing project on Thursday. Back in early 2016, Julian and the Western Center on Law & Poverty began representing several impoverished long-term residents of a Costa Mesa ...
Bird Marella is proud to recognize the attorneys who have been selected for inclusion in the 2017 Southern California Super Lawyers list: Terry W. Bird – Criminal Defense: White Collar, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation Sharon Ben-Shahar Mayer – Business Litigation, Criminal Defense: White Collar Joel E. Boxer – Business Litigation, ...
12 Bird Marella principals have been recognized and selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2017 edition of the Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly 5 million votes on the legal abilities of ...
Author, “How Your Client Can Get An Evidentiary ‘Pass’ For His Alleged Prior Misconduct,” The Federal Lawyer, April 2014