Biography

Matt is an attorney in the firm's Employment Law, Litigation and Immigration Groups. His practice is equally divided between management-side labor and employment litigation and compliance counseling, where he represents a full range of clients in matters encompassing wrongful termination claims, labor disputes, workplace harassment and discrimination claims, wage and hour compliance and OSHA compliance.

For more than 20 years, Matt has represented clients in numerous industries, including the retail, health care, publishing, energy, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. His clients include not only firms located in Maine, but throughout northern New England and Atlantic Canada. He frequently draws upon his varied professional experience to counsel clients in ways to avoid litigation or to effectively manage risks associated with their workforce management practices.

Matt also manages the firm's growing visa processing and business immigration practice, which specializes in H, L and TN nonimmigrant visa filings and PRA applications for 1st preference priority workers (including transnational executives), 2nd preference and 3rd preference professional and skilled workers requiring labor certifications.

Matt and his wife Mary C. Hartman, and their three sons, live on Cousins Island, in Yarmouth, Maine.

Professional Activities

  • American Bar Association
    • Section of Labor & Employment
  • Maine State Bar Association
  • New Hampshire Bar Association
  • Maine Chapter of the Labor Employment Relations Association (LERA), Maine Chapter
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
  • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • Rippleffect, Board of Directors, former Executive Committee Member
  • Children's Theatre of Maine, former Board member
  • City of Portland Civil Service Commission, former Chair

Firm Highlights

News

Maine Lawyers and Judges Once Again Show Overwhelming Support of Campaign for Justice

2022 proved to be another challenging year for Mainers. Skyrocketing inflation, an uncertain economic future, an ongoing housing crisis and more factors continue to push more at-risk individuals into a tight spot. Maine’s civil...

Publication

Enforcers Make It Easy to Report Cartels

This article was originally published in the American Bar Association  Antitrust Newsletter  on February 8, 2023.  Did you know that global competition enforcers have easy-to-find websites to encourage reporting of anticompetitive conduct? Not only...

Press Coverage

Authorities Refuse to Release Records for Maine School Shooter Hoax Calls

On November 15, 2022, multiple law enforcement agencies in Maine received false calls alerting police to active shooter situations at several high schools throughout the state. In the wake of this widespread hoax, the Kennebec...

Publication

FY2024 H-1B Registration Fact Sheet for Employers

Registration Process To file H-1B petitions subject to the FY2024 cap for an employee, you must first electronically register and pay a $10 fee for each electronic registration. The electronic registration includes basic information about...

News

Attorney Jeffrey Thaler Named to 2023 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Energy Law

For the second time, Preti Flaherty attorney Jeffrey Thaler has been recognized by the esteemed legal publication Lawdragon as an elite practitioner in the field of energy law. Jeff is the only Maine-base lawyer...

Event

Jeff Talbert to Moderate Panel on PFAS Regulatory Action at ABA Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Conference

Jeff Talbert, Chair of Preti Flaherty's Environmental Law Group, will moderate "Regulatory Action: History & Horizon" at the ABA Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Conference. This panel will discuss the 2016 EPA health advisory, the...

Event

Bodie Colwell will be a Featured Panelist at ABI Annual Spring Meeting

Bodie Colwell will be a featured panelist on "Danger Ahead! Avoiding and Addressing Ethical Landmines in Attorney Engagement and Compensation" at the American Bankruptcy Institute's Annual Spring Meeting. The panel focuses on disputes regarding engagement...

Publication

Maine Workers’ Compensation New Year Update 2023

The new year brings proposed legislation, an update to the Medical Fee Schedule, and two recent decisions from the Appellate Division. Proposed Legislation Workers’ compensation bill LD 53 (HP 28) would amend 39-A M.R.S.A...

Press Coverage

What’s Inside Maine Freight Trains? Public Can Only Hazard a Guess

Due to an exemption from the state's Freedom of Access Act, Maine residents are prevented from reviewing information regarding the transportation through their communities via freight trains of potentially hazardous materials. Rail industry officials...

News

Benchmark Litigation Names Preti Flaherty 2023 “Maine Firm of the Year”

Benchmark Litigation has named Preti Flaherty as 2023 Litigation Firm of the Year in the State of Maine. The Benchmark Awards honor distinguished litigators and law firms in all 50 states and 10 practice...