Matthew J. Piers

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Matthew J. Piers
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E-Mail: mpiers@hsplegal.com
Phone: 312-604-2606

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Matthew Piers is a nationally recognized trial attorney for complex matters, practicing in a broad array of federal and state courts around the country. He has over 30 years of experience in commercial, tort and class action litigation. He served as Deputy Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago from 1984 to 1989, in charge of all litigation for the City. In 2006, he was selected by Law Dragon as one of the 500 leading litigators in the country. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Experience: Mr. Piers is a leading Chicago area attorney. For plaintiffs, he has obtained many verdicts in excess of one million dollars. For defendants, he has successfully handled claims involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Among his many significant cases are the following:

In Re Mexico Money Transfer. A class action on fraudulent practices in the international wire transfer industry, resulting in a settlement providing injunctive relief and about $400 million in benefits to the mostly Mexican migrant class members;
People Who Care v. Rockford Board of Education. A class action school desegregation case tried in 1993 to a liability determination, containing the most detailed findings (550 page opinion) in the history of litigation of school desegregation;
ACLU v. City of Chicago. A class action challenge to political surveillance and harassment by local and national law enforcement agencies which resulted in a settlement with the broadest restrictions anywhere in the country on government interference with the First Amendment;
In re Federal Bank and Trust Company. A class action challenge to international securities fraud which resulted at the time in the largest RICO recovery in the nation;
Schulte v. Lauridsen. A wrongful death action, which resulted in the largest gross negligence recovery in the State of Iowa and the largest verdict in the history of Crawford Co., Iowa;
Maloney v. Rice. A successful trial defense of a Chicago Police Superintendent charged with employment "reverse race discrimination;"
Cadar v. Bell and Trombetta v. Proviso School Board. Record verdicts for single plaintiffs in civil rights and employment cases in the United States District Court, N.D. Illinois.

Honors, Education, and Activities: Mr. Piers was admitted to the University of Chicago Law School, (J.D., 1974), after three years at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York). He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. His awards and honors include 1999 Lawyer of the Year Award, Hispanic Council; 1998 Trial Lawyer of the Year (finalist), Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation/ATLA; 1998 Legal Services Award, MALDEF; and 1981 and 1985 Legal Eagle Awards, Independent Voters of Illinois, IPO. He has served as Board Co-chair, National Safe Workplace Institute and on Member of Board of Directors, MALDEF. Mr. Piers writes and lectures frequently on trial practice and constitutional law.

He has regularly been selected on the basis of the recommendations of his peers as an Illinois Super Lawyer in General Litigation and Civil Rights and as a Leading Lawyer in Civil Rights/Constitutional Law, Commercial Litigation, and Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Law.

Professional Recognition: Mr. Piers has been selected as a 2009 Leading Lawyer and 2009 Super Lawyer. He has also been rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell.

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