Matt Sweeney, shareholder in the Firm's Nashville office, is a business trial and appellate lawyer, mediator and arbitrator. Mr. Sweeney has a background in white collar criminal defense. He has broad experience in complex, class action and shareholder derivative litigation in state and federal courts throughout the United States. His litigation practice is varied, but is primarily concentrated in franchising/dealership (and related antitrust), securities, fiduciary duty, fraud, consumer protection and municipal employee pension/benefits cases. In his ADR practice he has mediated and arbitrated hundreds of cases throughout the southeast. Mr. Sweeney also counsels attorneys on questions of legal ethics and professional responsibility. He is a former Circuit Court Judge in Nashville and was Presiding Judge of the district's Trial Courts. He has taught trial practice as an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt Law School and civil procedure as a lecturer at the Nashville School of Law; and he is a regular speaker and panelist in continuing legal education programs on trial practice, ADR, and ethics and professionalism.
- Lead litigation, trial and appellate counsel for national disaster restoration franchisor in series of major franchise cases throughout the United States.
- Lead litigation and appellate counsel for regional hospitality franchisor in series of major franchise cases throughout the Southeastern United States.
- Trial and appellate counsel for local government in series of pension and employee benefits cases; lead defense counsel in a change of control benefits case following corporate merger.
- Lead counsel in defense of shareholder derivative action arising from merger of Canadian public company; co-counsel in defense of shareholder derivative action arising from merger of Tennessee public company.
- Co-counsel in defense of series of class and shareholder derivative actions arising from adverse stock performance of an insurance company.
- Lead counsel in minority shareholder oppression cases.
- Co-lead defense counsel in complex corporate veil piercing and fraud case.
- Lead counsel in case to remove local elected official from office.
- Lead defense trial counsel in inmate civil rights action against correctional officers.
- Criminal trial defense co-counsel in bombing conspiracy case.
- Lead defense counsel in post-conviction death penalty case.
- Matt Sweeney has mediated or arbitrated well over 225 cases throughout the Southeastern United States, including U. S. Olympic athlete eligibility disputes; contract, license and franchise disputes; employee benefit and change of control cases; business disputes and divorces; music copyright cases; and employment discrimination cases (age, race and sex).
- Sweeney & Collins, "Mandatory Disclosure of Information Relating to a Client Under the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct," Nashville Bar Journal (June 2010)
- Sweeney and Stephenson, "In the Proper Forum - Trial, Arbitration or Mediation," Tennessee Trial Lawyer (December 1994)
- Chair, Board of Advisors, Tennessee Ethics Handbook, Tennessee Bar Association (1991 – present)
- Co-Editor, Ethics Handbook, Nashville Bar Association (1988)
- Former Circuit Court Judge and Presiding Judge
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2005 in the areas of Bet-the-Company, Commercial and Securities Litigation, Arbitration, Mediation, Administrative/Regulatory Law, Franchise Law
- Listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers 2010 and 2011
- Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers (2005, 2006)
- Listed in "The Best of the Bar," Nashville Business Journal (2008)
- Member – Nashville Bar Association (Board of Directors, 1993 – 1995)
- Member – Tennessee Bar Association, Professional Standards Study Committee; Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility (Vice-Chair)
- Member – American Bar Association - Litigation, Antitrust Sections; Forum Committee on Franchising
- Member – National Judicial College Board of Trustees (2011— )
- Chair – Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee (1995 – 1997)
- Chair – Merit Selection Panel for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (2007)
- Recipient – Baker Donelson Nashville Pro Bono Attorney of the Year (2007, 2009)
- Vanderbilt University Law School
- Former Faculty Member - Corporate and Securities Law Institute (ADR)
- Former Coach - National Trial Competition Team
- Former Adjunct Faculty Member - Trial Practice
- Nashville School of Law
- Former Lecturer, Civil Procedure
- Fellow – Nashville Bar Foundation, former Trustee
- Fellow – Tennessee Bar Foundation
- Master Bencher, Executive Committee Member – Harry Phillips American Inns of Court
- Member – ADR Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- Member – Arbitration panel for U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- Approved Mediator – Tennessee Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Member – American Arbitration Association, Mediation and Arbitration Panels (Commercial, Employment, Sports Law)
- Member – Tennessee Academy of Mediators & Arbitrators
- Member – National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
- Tennessee, 1976
- U.S. District Court for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of Tennessee
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- National Judicial College, General Jurisdiction Program, 1987
- Vanderbilt University School of Law, J.D., 1976
- Seton Hall University, B.A., 1973, cum laude