Matt Scorcio is a trusted advocate for commercial and public-law disputes at all stages of litigation, with an emphasis on new and complex legal questions.
Matt is a fast-rising trial lawyer. He recently secured the winning jury verdict in a $15 million fraudulent transfer case. The American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily said it was “only appropriate that Scorcio was there to take in the verdict” after examining “seven witnesses at trial,” including cross-examining four expert witnesses. In other instances, Matt has secured dismissal of negligence claims against a professional sports executive; helped secure summary judgment on professional liability claims against a national law firm; resolved a national software company’s trade secret and non-compete dispute with a departing executive; and is representing an attorney in a fiduciary duty case.
Matt is also a highly-regarded appellate lawyer. He helped persuade the Texas Supreme Court to slash a $125 million jury verdict by 99 percent, to under $2 million. Signature Indus. Servs., LLC v. Int’l Paper Co., 638 S.W.3d 179 (Tex. 2022). And he helped secure the Fifth Circuit’s reversal to send putative eight-figure class action claims to arbitration. Forby v. One Techs., L.P., 13 F.4th 460 (5th Cir. 2021). He has also helped convince state courts across the country to grant dismissal or summary judgment on False Claims Act claims against a Dallas industry company, including an applicable affirmance on appeal. State ex rel. Harman v. Trinity Indus., Inc., 2023 WL 3959887 (Tenn. Ct. App. June 13, 2023). He has particular expertise in securing and defeating interim relief from appellate courts such as writs of mandamus, stays of injunctions, and suspension of money judgments. Matt’s writing and advocacy have shaped cases from the earliest pre-trial discovery phase to the court of last resort, and this emphasis on the case’s legal principles often proves decisive.
Matt’s pro bono practice includes multiple cases under the First Amendment Establishment Clause. In one instance, he recently helped persuade the Fifth Circuit to stay and then reverse a declaratory judgment against a Texas justice of the peace. Freedom From Religion Found., Inc. v. Mack, 49 F.4th 941 (5th Cir. 2022). His pro bono practice also includes amicus representation of crime victims’ rights. E.g., Counterman v. Colorado, 143 S. Ct. 2106 (2023).
Prior to joining the firm, Matt was a law clerk to the Honorable Don R. Willett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Honorable Sidney A. Fitzwater of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Matt graduated from Stanford Law School in 2016. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He was a naval officer for six years.
Matt is a member of the Texas bar. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Antitrust and Competition
- Appellate and Constitutional Law
- Class Actions
- Law Firm Defense
- Trials
Credentials
Education:
- Stanford University - 2016 Juris Doctor
- U.S. Naval Academy - 2007 Bachelor of Science
Admissions:
- Texas Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, Hon. Don R. Willett, 2018 - 2019
- USDC, Northern District of Texas, Hon. Sidney A. Fitzwater, 2016 - 2017