Mat is a resident of Saline County, a husband to his beautiful wife Jessi, and a father to five children. He is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. After his enlistment, he moved back to Arkansas where he worked as a police officer for almost nine years. During Mat’s law enforcement career, he rose up the ranks from Patrol Officer to Field Training Officer.
With his background as a police officer, Mat has been trained in criminal investigations, traffic enforcement, and DWI enforcement. As a Field Training Officer, he trained new police officers in these areas as well. Mat’s years in law enforcement have provided him with training and experiences that allow him to scrutinize the cases against our clients from a unique point of view, ensuring that the rights of our DWI and criminal defense clients are protected.
In addition to Mat’s experiences in the criminal justice system, he has spent the last 12 years fighting for equal parenting rights. Mat has been personally involved in the family law system. After fighting uphill battles and seeing firsthand the unfairness faced by noncustodial parents in family law courts, Mat decided to reach out to Arkansas lawmakers to try to change the state’s custody laws.
After countless hours of research, lobbying, and testimony at the Capitol, Mat was able to help change the Arkansas custody laws to a joint-custody law. This new law created a presumption that joint custody is in the best interest of children in our state. Arkansas is only the second state in the U.S. to be able to accomplish this. Mat’s personal experiences with family law courts and attorneys in Arkansas not only motivated him to go to law school but drives his passion for helping clients with their own family law issues.
