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For the past six years, Matt Feeley served as valued member of the Standing Committee for Professionalism (SCOP), working primarily on the professionalism awards subcommittee. This subcommittee is tasked with reviewing nominations for and choosing winners of the Center for Professionalism’s three awards — the Hoeveler Judicial Professionalism Award, the Law Faculty/Administrator Professionalism Award, and the Group Professionalism Award. These prestigious honors are bestowed during The Florida Bar’s Annual Convention.
While he termed out of his seat on SCOP in June of this year, Matt thoroughly enjoyed his time as it allowed him to focus on the promotion of professionalism and civility. Matt finds this focus on professionalism to be an important one, particularly as it relates to the mental health of attorneys. He would add that the life of an attorney provides many stressors, and the addition of unprofessional behavior from others can push some over the edge.
When not volunteering, Matt works as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, a position he has held for almost four years following 17 years in private practice. In this position, he mainly focuses on issues dealing with the Whistleblower Protection Act and the False Claims Act, which often include a significant number of cases in the healthcare industry. In addition to his work at the Miami office, Matt also serves as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this position, he prosecutes federal criminal cases that arise in Oklahoma through the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. This decision relates to jurisdiction as it pertains to crimes with Native Americans, where jurisdiction lies with the federal government instead of Oklahoma. Matt has found this work incredibly interesting and enjoys the additional experience with criminal law.
Matt also has a tremendous amount of interest in the field of international law, especially as it relates to different countries’ cooperation in corruption cases and how different jurisdictions work together. To bolster his knowledge of international law, Matt attended The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, receiving a Master of Arts degree in International Relations in July of 2020.
Matt graduated cum laude from Boston College Law School where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the International and Comparative Law Review and won honors as a member of the Jessup International Law National Moot Court team.
In his free time, Matt especially enjoys spending time outdoors enjoying water activities such as boating and diving. Growing up in the Detroit-area, Matt is a self-described die-hard fan of Detroit sports, especially the Detroit Lions. Before law school, Matt, an athlete himself, played professional American football in France for a season as a linebacker, fullback, and tight end after playing at Dartmouth during his undergraduate years.
Although Matt’s term on SCOP has ended, he looks forward to continuing his advocacy for professionalism and civility throughout the legal profession.
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