Bar Admissions

North Carolina

Education

Duke University, J.D. and LL.M., with honors, 1989; Order of the Coif; Duke Law Journal, Editor-in-Chief

Harvard University, A.B., cum laude, 1984

Profile

Matt Sawchak focuses his practice on complex litigation, antitrust and appeals. He has argued at all levels of the federal and North Carolina court systems, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Clients often retain Matt as new or additional counsel on appeal. He has handled a number of cases with stakes greater than a billion dollars.

Matt uses strategic approaches to handle complex cases efficiently. Many cases turn on the resolution of one central issue. Matt works to identify that issue early and get it decided in the client's favor.

Before joining Robinson Bradshaw, Matt served as solicitor general of North Carolina from 2017 to 2020. He acted as lead counsel in the state's highest-stakes civil appeals. In private practice as well, Matt has handled many cases involving government agencies — both as opponents and as clients.

Matt is a thought leader on the law of unfair and deceptive trade practices. Federal and state courts have relied on his articles in this area.

Honors & Awards

  • North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, Leaders in the Law Award, 2023
  • Chambers USA, antitrust, 2009-16, 2021-23; appellate, 2022-23; litigation, 2022-23
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers, business litigation, 2006-18, 2021; appellate, 2022-23; Top 25 Raleigh Super Lawyer, 2013-17; Top 100 North Carolina Super Lawyer, 2007-17
  • The Best Lawyers in America, antitrust, appellate, bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, litigation - antitrust, 2003-24; Raleigh Litigation - Antitrust Lawyer of the Year, 2012, 2015, 2024; Raleigh Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year, 2014, 2016, 2024
  • Business North Carolina, Legal Elite, antitrust, Hall of Fame; appellate, 2021, 2023
  • Benchmark Litigation, Litigation Star, 2013-16, 2022-23
  • North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society, 2020-21
  • Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated

Clerkships

  • Law Clerk, The Honorable Clarence Thomas, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Experience

Experience

  • Appeals

  • Argued a groundbreaking tax dispute in the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • Won appellate reversal of a billion-dollar judgment in a class action over health-insurance coverage.

  • Won appellate reversal of a decision that reassigned the ownership of a multibillion-dollar utility.

  • Managed hundreds of appeals, gaining advanced insight into how today's appellate courts respond to arguments and filings.

  • Antitrust

  • Acted as lead defense counsel in state antitrust enforcement proceedings that challenged trade association activities.

  • Represented corporate plaintiffs and defendants in federal multidistrict antitrust cases.

  • Advised professional associations on their antitrust concerns, including concerns over the regulated scope of practice of other professions.

  • Testified as an expert witness in multiple distribution-related disputes, including a resale-price-maintenance case in the North Carolina Business Court.

  • Litigation with or by Government Agencies

  • Represented the governor and attorney general of North Carolina as friends of the court in a landmark case that recognizes that partisan gerrymandering violates the North Carolina Constitution.

  • Represented the prevailing government agency before the North Carolina Supreme Court in a leading case on North Carolina administrative law.

  • Represented multiple government agencies in antitrust cases, including cases in which the Federal Trade Commission challenged the actions of state agencies.

  • Business Litigation

  • Represented the winning defendant on appeal in a leading case in which the North Carolina Supreme Court defined the scope of North Carolina's "unfair trade practices" statute.

  • As new counsel at the post-trial stage, persuaded a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction and to set aside an $8 million verdict.

  • Represented multiple companies in cases alleging unfair and deceptive trade practices.

  • Defended a law firm against fiduciary-duty claims threatened by a departing partner.

  • Defended financial services companies in consumer litigation throughout North Carolina.

News & Events

News

Events

Insights

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations

  • American Law Institute, Elected Member
  • American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Fellow
  • Antitrust Law Journal, Editorial Board, Chair
  • North Carolina State Bar Board-Certified Specialist, Appellate Practice
  • North Carolina Bar Association, Appellate Rules Committee, Member and Past Chair
  • North Carolina Bar Association, Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section, Member and Past Chair
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Rules Committee, Chair
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Rules Committee, Chair

Community Affiliations

  • North Carolina Master Chorale, Member
  • North Carolina Opera, Member
  • A Place at the Table, Volunteer
  • Note in the Pocket, Volunteer
  • First United Methodist Church of Cary, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Chair
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