Matthew Stanford
Matthew Stanford
Matthew Stanford
Biography
Matt specializes in appellate litigation, appellate consulting, and advanced motion practice. He is a skilled writer and strategist with a penchant for simplifying complex legal concepts into clear, concise arguments that keep the court focused on what’s important to its eventual decision. In addition to his commercial practice, Matt maintains an active pro bono practice, including work on high-profile capital habeas and immigration matters before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Matt frequently contributes his thought leadership to various legal publications. He has been a contributor to SCOCAblog, a joint project of the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law—where he served as a senior research fellow—and the Hastings Law Journal. Matt’s work has also appeared on Insider, The Recorder, Expert Forum, and several top-tier law journals. His writings regularly cover topics such as constitutional and statutory interpretation, federal jurisdiction, federalism, and separation of powers.
Before joining BCLP, Matt practiced at an Arizona litigation boutique, where he gained a broad range of administrative, trial, and appellate experience, including coauthoring several appellate briefs and second chairing a bench trial that resulted in a favorable verdict for his client. Before that, Matt spent the first few years of his career as a judicial law clerk at the federal and state levels. He clerked for Judge Susan R. Bolton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, Judge Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Chief Justice Robert M. Brutinel of the Arizona Supreme Court. Matt credits his time in public service for equipping him with a unique vantage point for appellate advocacy, as well as for engraining him with a civic-minded approach to the practice of law.
Matt focused his time as a law student on becoming an effective researcher, writer, and advocate. He served as an articles and essays editor for the California Law Review, as a judicial extern for William H. Orrick III of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and as a research assistant to then-Interim Dean Melissa Murray—one of the nation’s foremost experts in the areas of constitutional law, family law, and reproductive rights—and Professor Andrew Bradt—a leading scholar of civil procedure, conflict of laws, and remedies. Matt also worked as a senior analyst for a nonprofit focused on state- and county-level correctional reform.
In his free time, Matt likes to spend time with his family, play at open mic nights with his youngest daughter, watch Penn State football, and go to concerts.
Civic Involvement & Honors
- Senior Research Fellow, California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law, 2017–2023
- Next Generation Leader, American Constitution Society for Law & Policy
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, 2024–2026
- Super Lawyers: Rising Stars, 2024–2026
Professional Affiliations
- Member, Penn State World Campus Alumni Society Leadership, 2025–present
- Member, Board of Directors, Arizona Capital Representation Project, 2022–present
- Member, Board of Directors, American Constitution Society – Arizona Lawyer Chapter, 2022–present
CLERKSHIPS
- Hon. Robert M. Brutinel, Arizona Supreme Court, 2020-2021
- Hon. Michael Daly Hawkins, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2019-2020
- Hon. Susan R. Bolton, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, 2017-2019
Admissions
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Arizona, 2021
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California, 2018
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Supreme Court of the United States, 2023
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U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2025
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2023
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 2023
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 2025
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2021
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2025
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U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, 2026
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U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 2021
Education
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University of California-Berkeley, J.D., Order of the Coif, 2017
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Pennsylvania State University, B.A., with high distinction, 2012
Related Capabilities
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Business & Commercial Disputes
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Intellectual Property & Technology Disputes
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Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Regulation, Compliance & Advisory
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Class Actions & Mass Torts
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Appellate
Experience
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Lenk v. Monolithic Power Sys., Inc., ___ P.3d ___ (Ariz. Ct. App. 2026): Briefed and obtained unanimous decision holding judgment creditor was not required to join judgment debtor’s spouse in lawsuit to execute judgment for attorney fees and costs and judgment debtor lacked standing to assert failure to join on spouse’s behalf.
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Miot v. Trump, ___ F.Supp.3d ___ (D.D.C. 2026): Represented Haitian nationals challenging agency’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti and obtained postponement of the agency’s decision because it violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee.
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Martin v. United States, 605 U.S. 395 (2025): Coauthored amicus brief in support of wrong-house raid victims challenging Eleventh Circuit decision holding that the Supremacy Clause shielded the federal government from liability under the Federal Tort Claims Act. (Decision unanimously vacated)
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American Assn. of Physicians for Human Rights, Inc. v. National Inst. of Health, 795 F.Supp.3d 678 (D. Md. 2025): Won preliminary injunction on behalf of NIH grant recipients challenging termination of research grants because of their relationship to LGBTQI+ health topics in violation of the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provision and the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee.
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Thornell v. Jones, 602 U.S. 154 (2024): Coauthored merits brief and second-chaired argument in a capital habeas matter regarding the proper interpretation of the standard for assessing prejudice for ineffective assistance of counsel claims.
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Gee v. Nat’l Collegiate Athletic Assn., 328 Cal. Rptr. 3d 753 (2024), reh’g denied (Jan. 10, 2025), pet. for rev. denied April 23, 2025 (No. S289362): Briefed and obtained unanimous affirmance of defense verdict and holding that defendant did not have a duty to change the rules of college football to reduce the potential risk of athletes’ subsequent development of brain injuries.
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Satamian v. Great Divide Ins. Co., et al., 545 P.3d 918 (Ariz. 2024): Briefed and obtained unanimous decision affirming the dismissal of claims for negligent procurement of insurance and promissory estoppel.
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Commonwealth v. Zucchino, 493 Mass. 747 (2024): Coauthored amicus brief urging affirmance of order denying suppression of blood alcohol content evidence in a prosecution for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily injury or death. (Judgment unanimously affirmed)
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Burns v. Ariz. Pub. Serv. Co., 254 Ariz. 24 (2022): Coauthored merits brief for utility company in case regarding the constitutional limits on the investigatory authority of an individual commissioner of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
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Szeto v. Ariz. Pub. Serv. Co., 253 Ariz. 466 (2022): Coauthored petition for review of a court of appeals ruling on the limitations on a public utility’s liability for negligent maintenance of its power lines and obtained summary de-publication of the adverse portions of the court of appeals’ opinion.
Resources
Publications
- “The End of an Error: Could Morgan v. Sundance Mark a Turning Point in SCOTUS’ Interpretation of the Federal Arbitration Act? The Recorder, May 26, 2022
- “Let Them Cheat: The Problems with Remote Bar Exam Software,” The Recorder, December 9, 2021
- “Practical Piety: Divining Religion’s Role in Reproductive Policymaking,” Boston University International Law Journal, March 1, 2021
- “The Constitutional Challenges Awaiting Police Reform—and How Congress Can Try to Address Them Preemptively,” California Law Review Online, July 1, 2020
- “Uproot or Upgrade? Revisiting Section 230 Immunity in the Digital Age,” University of Chicago Law Review Online, June 23, 2020 (co-authored with Hon. Michael Daly Hawkins)
- “Remote Jury Trials Are Possible, But Maybe Not the Best Idea,” The Recorder, May 27, 2020 (co-authored with David A. Carrillo)
- “All of a Sudden, Everyone Loves the Tenth Amendment,” The Recorder, April 17, 2020 (co-authored with David A. Carrillo)
- “The pandemic exposes the need to fix the federalism debate,” SCOCAblog, April 17, 2020
- “Emergency diploma privileges are not the solution to coronavirus-caused bar exam delayed,” SCOCAblog, April 8, 2020
- “Judicial Resistance to Mandatory Arbitration as Federal Commandeering,” Florida Law Review, November 1, 2019 (co-authored with David A. Carrillo)
- “Administrative Injuries,” Florida State University Law Review, September 1, 2019
- “California SB 1300: What to Make of the Legislative Intent Provision,” SCOCAblog, January 8, 2019
- “Diminution Doctrine: Arbitration’s First Amendment Problem,” UC Davis Law Review Online, September 1, 2018
- “Supreme Court justices shouldn’t have term limits—they should have age requirements,” Insider, August 27, 2018
- “Odd Man Out: A Comparative Critique of the Federal Arbitration Act’s Article III Shortcomings,” California Law Review, June 1, 2017
- “Don’t Fear Trump. Fear the Presidency,” Expert Forum, February 13, 2017
- “Stop-and-Frisk Is Constitutional…But Should It Be?” Expert Forum, October 12, 2016
- “Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk: How the Supreme Court Inadvertently Reformed the Fair Labor Standards Act,” Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law, May 1, 2015
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