July 2018
by Helen Hutton

Having lived in Dallas for just over 2 years now, Matthew J. Agnew has taken DAYL by storm with his tireless work ethic and generous nature.  In 2017, Matthew was recognized as DAYL’s Outstanding Committee Chair for his work with the Lawyers Against Domestic Violence Committee, which has done some truly incredible work with Matthew and company at the helm over the past couple of years.  Matthew is a member of the 2017-2018 Leadership Class and also an active member of the CLE Committee, Deal Boot Camp Committee, and Legal Writing Seminar Committee.  But his professional activities do not end with DAYL.  Matthew is serves as the Chair of the ABA Task Force on ADR & Conflict Management in Health Care and as a member of the Enforcement Committee for the American Health Lawyers Association’s Fraud and Abuse Practice Group.

If you’re asking yourself “how?”, you are not alone!  That was my first question for Matthew when I had the pleasure of interviewing him for this article.  Matthew’s advice is to strive for mindfulness in all you do (try meditation!) and to know your limitations.  Lucky for us, Matthew grew accustomed to working 100-hour weeks in his years of work in politics.

In yet another stroke of luck, Matthew decided politics was not for him when he was faced with the flexible ethics that put the “necessities” of running a campaign before principles.  Naturally, he next went to law school.  A native of Kansas, Matthew earned his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law and then started his legal career in Amarillo, Texas.

Matthew practices health care law on both sides of the great divide between transactional and litigation work.  He assists health care providers, like hospitals, understand what the law says and how to structure their business to comply with it.  He also handles investigations and disputes when allegations of noncompliance (or even fraud) arise.  Matthew enjoys having the opportunity to do complex, interesting, and sophisticated legal work, while also feeding that altruistic bug that so many of us brought to (and many of us left in) law school.  When he is not slaving away at the office or the Belo, Matthew enjoys spending time with his wife, 4 dogs, and friends, hiking (preferably in the Rockies), and hunting large game.

As of June 25, 2018, Matthew is an associate at Barnes & Thornburg LLP.  So if you see him, be sure to tell him congratulations…twice!  Because Matthew Agnew is this month’s One to Watch!