Matthew Lewis

Matt Lewis is a partner whose practice focuses on resolving complex legal issues with a focus on commercial litigation, government investigations and white-collar criminal cases, and plaintiff-focused securities arbitrations and class-actions. He has successfully represented clients in trials in both state and federal courts and FINRA arbitrations throughout the country. Matt’s career includes serving as a presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice, private practice at an international firm, a large Utah firm, and now a specialized boutique firm, and teaching law as an adjunct professor at BYU Law School—giving him rare depth and expertise in guiding clients through the legal challenges posed by high-stakes commercial litigation, government investigations and regulatory actions, and advising clients seeking to strengthen corporate compliance programs.

Matt has represented Fortune 500 companies, prominent Utah businesses, and individuals in sophisticated commercial disputes, including prosecuting and defending class actions, serving as lead local counsel for a national pharmaceutical manufacturer in multi-district tort litigation, acting as lead counsel in various crypto-currency related actions, representing companies and owners in business-ownership disputes, and acting as lead counsel for companies and individuals charged with or otherwise involved in government investigations involving securities and investment fraud, crypto-related offenses, mail and wire fraud and other financial crimes, tax evasion, government contracting violations, bankruptcy fraud, antitrust, immigration and trafficking, theft of trade secrets, Medicare and Medicaid, and other complex state and federal criminal allegations.

In his practice, Matt regularly interfaces with government agencies such as the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Trade Commission, Utah Division of Securities, Utah Attorney General’s Office, and Division of Professional Licensing. Having seen the harm that government investigations can inflict, Matt also advises companies regarding compliance with securities laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), HIPAA, and data privacy laws to limit enforcement exposure. Matt also devotes a significant portion of his practice to representing plaintiffs, whistleblowers, relators in Qui Tam or False Claims Act cases, and victims of Section 1983 violations on a contingency basis, and is one of just a few Utah attorneys who regularly represents defrauded investors in FINRA arbitrations.

Matt has tried dozens of cases in federal and state courts and arbitration proceedings. He has also argued appellate matters before the Utah Supreme Court, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Utah Court of Appeals. Representative results include:

• Not guilty verdicts in state court jury trial relating to 43 felony counts alleging forgery and theft.
• Dismissal following a preliminary hearing and Franks hearing of multiple first and second degree felonies alleging human trafficking carrying potential life sentences.
• Local counsel for lead defendant in Securities and Exchange Commission v. Digital Licensing Inc., a matter that gained national attention because the complaint was dismissed and the S.E.C. was ordered to pay sanctions of more than $1.8 million in attorney fees and costs.
• Multi-million-dollar recovery on behalf of more than 100 investors against a network of financial planners and international insurance companies due to fraud, unsuitability, and lack of due diligence surrounding the sale of Indexed Universal Life (“IUL”) policies.
• Managing local counsel coordinating highly-complex multi-district product liability litigation involving alleged damages of hundreds of millions of dollars and more than a dozen teams of local and national attorneys.
• Lead counsel in federal jury trial that returned not guilty verdict on multiple alleged felonies seeking 10-year mandatory minimums.
• Lead counsel in FINRA arbitration that resulted in $6.9 million FINRA arbitration award against a major broker-dealer (believed to be the largest in Utah history).
• Lead counsel resulting is pretrial dismissal of defamation claim.
• Lead counsel in matter resulting in $5 million fraud verdict in Utah state court and multiple appeals defending verdict.
• Co-counsel in federal court jury trial returning verdict of $327,750, which verdict was unanimously affirmed by the Tenth Circuit
• Negotiated deferred prosecution agreement in immigration fraud investigation seeking multi-million dollar fines.
• Lead counsel in crypto-currency related class action.
• Lead counsel in defense of putative immigration class action involving hundreds of potential class members.
• Lead counsel in S.E.C. enforcement matter in California federal court resulting in favorable resolution and dismissal of multiple claims and defendants.

From 2006 to 2007, Matt served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice, managing a portfolio focusing on corporate fraud and white-collar crime and coordinated three national law enforcement task forces.

Matt maintains an AV Preeminent rating with Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized by peers as a Mountain States Super Lawyer and repeatedly as Utah’s Legal Elite in both Criminal Law and Business Litigation. He has also served as an adjunct professor of Criminal Procedure at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU and received the 2018 Pro Bono Service Award from the Federal Bar Association’s Utah Chapter.

HONORS & EDUCATION

• J.D., Columbia Law School (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Teaching Fellow, Civil Procedure)
• B.A., Journalism (French minor), University of Utah
• 2018 Pro Bono Service Award, Federal Bar Association, Utah Chapter
• AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
• Mountain States Super Lawyers – 2025 and 2026
• Utah Legal Elite – Criminal Law and Business Litigation, multiple years

HISTORY & EXPERIENCE

• Adjunct Professor, Criminal Procedure, J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University
• Shareholder, Ray Quinney & Nebeker, PC (2004–2006 and 2007-2018)
• Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice (2006–2007)
• Associate, Latham & Watkins, Washington, D.C. (1997–2004)
• Judicial Clerk, Honorable Richard C. Howe (Ret.), Utah Supreme Court (1996–1997)

ADMISSIONS & PRACTICE

• Utah
• California
• Nevada
• Washington, D.C.
• Arizona
• Criminal Justice Act Panel, District of Utah

LECTURES & PUBLICATIONS

• Presenter, 2025 Utah Bar Securities Section Annual Meeting, Criminal Law Update
• “Are You Prepared: Five Questions to Ask About Your Company’s Data Security Protections,” Utah Business (January 2018)
• “How to Respond If Your Company is Involved in a Criminal Investigation,” The Enterprise
• “Protection of the Attorney-Client Privilege in Criminal Investigations,” The Sedona Conference on Complex Litigation (with Barry M. Sabin)
• Speaker, PLI Conference Internal Investigations 2007: Legal, Ethical and Strategic Issues
• Speaker, “Lessons Learned from High Profile Securities Prosecutions,” Utah State Bar, Section of Securities