Matt is a commercial lawyer who litigates and advises businesses and individuals. Matt's litigation practice is primarily devoted to products liability and commercial litigation, including attorney-malpractice litigation for both plaintiff and defense lawyers. Matt has litigated in more than twenty state and federal jurisdictions concerning a wide variety of commercial and injury matters, including construction defect (and associated insurance, surety, and indemnity issues) and catastrophic industrial accidents involving process piping, pipelines, explosions, and lead and other toxic exposures.
Matt also leads the firm’s response team for catastrophic events and assists clients in state and federal investigations conducted by OSHA and other government agencies. Matt has tried white-collar criminal cases to acquittal in both state and federal court, and he has represented clients False Claims Act litigation involving healthcare, government contracting, PPP/RRF funding, and other matters, including putative claims exceeding $100 million.
Prior to joining Watkins & Eager PLLC, Matt served as law clerk to the Honorable David C. Bramlette III of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (2006-07). He is admitted to practice before all state and federal Courts in Mississippi, Arkansas federal court and has been admitted pro hac vice in many other jurisdictions.
Honors & Recognitions
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- The Best Lawyers in America (2021-25, Commercial Litigation; 2025, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; 2025, Qui Tam Law; 2021-2022, Criminal Defense: White-Collar)
- Benchmark Litigation: (Future Star, 2019; 40 & Under Hot List, 2016-2019)
- Mid-South Super Lawyers (2012-16, Rising Star, General Litigation)
- Mississippi Law Journal, Executive Articles Editor
- Former Hinds County Special Prosecutor Pro Tempore
Community & Professional
- Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Member
- Defense Research Institute
- Trial Attorneys of America
Articles & Publications
- Roundtable Discussion at Mississippi Manufacturers Association's 2013 Environmental & Safety Conference: Emergency Response & Agency Investigations
- Circuit Court Venue in Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Actions, 31 Mississippi Defense Quarterly 11 (Spring 2007)
- "The 'Home Grown' Presidency: Empirical Evidence on Localism in Presidential Elections 1972-2000," 36 Applied Economics 1745 (2004) (co-author)
- "Politics and the Adoption of Legislative Television: An analysis of the U.S. House Vote on C-Span," 16 European Journal of Law and Economics 345 (2003) (co-author)
- Performed study and report with recommendations on jury selections plans of the various district courts within the Fifth Circuit; presented to the Fifth Circuit Judicial Council in May 2007 by the Honorable David C. Bramlette III, United States District Judge
Presentations
- Presentations regarding Legal Malpractice in Mississippi: Causes of Action and Defenses, given to the 2012 and 2015 Mississippi Summer School for Lawyers, the Spring 2013 University of Mississippi School of Law, and the Winter 2013 Mississippi Access for Justice's Mid-Year Convention
- DRI's Product Liability Case Law Update 2011 - Fifth Circuit," presented at the 2011 DRI Products Liability Conference (co-author)
Practice Areas
Education
Juris Doctor: University of Mississippi School of Law, summa cum laude, 2006
Bachelor's Degree: Banking and Finance, University of Southern Mississippi, Highest Honors, 2003
