Matthew J. Thome

ATTORNEY

Matthew J. Thome

Meet Matt

Experienced Wisconsin litigator and legal advocate.

Matt Thome is an attorney who is dedicated to helping clients resolve their most difficult legal problems both inside and outside the courtroom. Matt has significant experience representing individuals, businesses, counties, school districts, and other governmental entities in a broad range of areas including government and commercial contracts, business torts, defamation, consumer protection law, the False Claims Act, ERISA, administrative law, constitutional law, trade secrets, Indian law, election law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Wisconsin’s public records law. Matt’s experience includes advising clients on their options prior to the initiation of litigation; representing clients in all phases of litigation before federal and state courts at the trial level and on appeal, as well as in arbitration and mediation; and representing clients in investigations. 

Before joining with Andy Phillips, Chrissy Hamiel, and Jake Curtis to found Attolles Law, s.c., Matt was a shareholder at one of Wisconsin’s largest law firms. Prior to that, Matt practiced law for six years in Washington D.C. in the Government and Regulatory Litigation group at WilmerHale LLP. Matt has also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Priscilla R. Owen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Hon. Karen J. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Hon. C. Weston Houck of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. 

Matt’s representations include: 

Commercial and Government Contracts Litigation and Appeals 

  • Represented a global aerospace corporation in a government contracts dispute in the Court of Federal Claims. 
  • Represented a global aerospace corporation in a government contracts dispute that resulted in a three-week trial before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. 
  • Represented managed care organizations under Wisconsin’s Family Care Program in lawsuits in state and federal court brought by a provider seeking payment of reimbursement claims. 
  • Represented a company in a dispute related to software development. 
  • Represented a manufacturer in a dispute related to implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. 
  • Successfully briefed an ERISA preemption case for a client in the U.S. Supreme Court. 
  • Represented a bank in obtaining the dismissal of breach of contract and negligence claims against the bank by a former bank customer arising out of thefts by the customer’s employee, and obtained affirmance of the dismissal on appeal. 
  • Represented a car dealership in successfully appealing from a summary judgment decision against the dealership in a breach of contract and breach of warranty dispute with a design-build contractor. 
  • Represented an investment advisor in federal court against claims alleging violations of Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act for allegedly excessive fees charged to mutual funds. 
  • Represented a government contractor in arbitration proceedings in a dispute with the contractor’s joint-venture partner involving allegations of breach of contract. 
  • Successfully moved to compel arbitration in a federal court case brought by one of the client’s customers alleging various state law claims and a federal RICO claim. 
  • Represented a defense contractor in a contract dispute in Indiana state court that resulted in a three-week trial. 

Counties, School Districts, and Other Public Entities 

  • Representing a county and county board defending against a common law certiorari challenge to the Board’s decision to adopt a plan for uses of a state trail in the county. 
  • Representing a public body in a breach of contract dispute relating to a state tax credit program. 
  • Representing the State Assembly in a public records dispute. 
  • Successfully defended in court a county’s decision not to release the names of businesses that had been associated with coronavirus investigations. 
  • Represented a county against claims that the county’s redistricting plan violated the U.S. Constitution. 
  • Represented a Wisconsin village at the district court level and on appeal in a jurisdictional dispute with an Indian Tribe that encompassed the issue of whether the Tribe’s original reservation boundaries had been diminished or disestablished. 
  • Represented a school district against alleged constitutional claims arising out of the district’s suspension of a student. 
  • Represented a school district in an appeal to federal court from an administrative decision in a due process hearing under the IDEA. 

Government Investigations and Enforcement Matters 

  • Represented a telecommunications company in consumer protection litigation against a State Attorney General. 
  • Represented a telecommunications company in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation arising out of qui tam litigation under the False Claims Act. 
  • Represented a technology company in an investigation conducted by the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP). 
  • Represented a technology company in an investigation conducted by the consumer protection section of a State Attorney General. 

Education 

  • University of Michigan, J.D., magna cum laude, 2008 
  • Michigan State University, B.A., with honor, 2005 

Bar Admissions 

  • California, District of Columbia, Wisconsin 
  • U.S. Supreme Court 
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Seventh Circuit 
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims 
  • U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, Western District of Texas, Central District of California, and Southern District of California