MATTHEW A. CARVALHO

206.516.3874

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PRACTICE AREAS

 Contracts & Commercial Disputes

 Securities Litigation

 Corporate Governance & Dissolution Disputes

 Employment Counsel, Investigations & Litigation

 Strategic Advice & Counsel

 Appellate Litigation

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EDUCATION

Columbia Law School, J.D., 1997

Brown University, A.B., 1994

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CLERKSHIP

Hon. Robert S. Lasnik, U.S. District Court,        W.D. Wash., 1999-2000

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PRIOR EXPERIENCE

Heller Ehrman, 2000-2008

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, 1997-1999

 

Matt Carvalho helps businesses and individuals resolve disputes through litigation, alternate dispute resolution, negotiation, and proactive problem-solving.  He has particular expertise in complex commercial disputes, securities litigation, and disputes arising out of the governance or dissolution of businesses.  

 

He has represented clients in government investigations and enforcement actions by federal prosecutors, the Securities & Exchange Commission, and the Securities Division of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.  He also has substantial experience defending civil litigation on behalf of clients who simultaneously face potential criminal liability--working in close partnership with white collar criminal defense counsel to minimize risk in both contexts.  

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He frequently advises individual executives regarding compensation, employment separation, crisis response, and risk management issues, and serves as individual "shadow counsel" to corporate executives already represented by company counsel in litigation or investigations.  

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Matt is part of the Firm's trial team, with experience in state and federal courts, as well as numerous arbitrations.  He is also an experienced appellate advocate, having appeared and argued before the the Washington Supreme Court, the Washington Court of Appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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Matt’s recent clients and matters have included:

• Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle in litigation against eleven investment banks over residential mortgage backed securities.

• CEO of a publicly-traded Idaho company in federal securities class action, SEC investigation, and related litigation.

• Senior corporate officer in federal and state securities litigation arising out of the bankruptcy of a financial services firm.

• Hospital systems in contract disputes with insurance companies.

• Private equity firms and private equity professionals in arbitration and state court litigation over profit-sharing agreements.

• Defending directors and officers in shareholder derivative litigation in the state courts of Washington, California, and Delaware.

• Representing individuals in the negotiation of executive compensation and separation agreements.

• Public and private companies in government and internal investigations involving allegations of securities fraud, government contracting fraud, insider trading, accounting improprieties, stock option backdating, false advertising, employee misconduct, and other matters.

• Individual clients in civil litigation involving claims of defamation, breach of contract, civil conspiracy, and breach of fiduciary duty.

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He is the author/presenter of: "Chapter 10: Establishing Breach of Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing," Washington Contract Litigation (Lexis-Nexis Guide, 2015); "Secondary Liability Under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act: Where Things Stand,” Wall Street Lawyer (June 2006), and a co-author of “Choice Of Law Analysis May Stem Class Actions,” National Law Journal (September 16, 2002).

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Matt has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” (2013-2018) and a “Rising Star” (2006-2012) in Washington Law & Politics Magazine.

 

He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Henry Art Gallery and is a past Board member of Richard Hugo House (Seattle’s literary arts center) and QLaw: the LGBT Bar Association of Washington.

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Matt is a member of the bar in Washington, California, and the District of Columbia (inactive).