Matthew C. Dates

Matthew C. Dates is a Shareholder in the Litigation Department. With over 25 jury trials in federal court, Matthew is a skilled trial lawyer and seasoned investigator who brings a wealth of experience to each new matter.

Matthew has a wide range of experience defending allegations made by the United States and private plaintiffs including securities fraud, Clean Water Act violations, and Ponzi schemes.  In addition, Matthew was appointed by the court as a receiver in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Before joining the Firm, Matthew was an Attorney/Advisor with the United States Secret Service. Matthew was assigned to the litigation surrounding the Whitewater Independent Counsel investigations of President Clinton. On behalf of the United States Secret Service, Matthew represented the Secret Service Agents and Uniform Division personnel during their testimony before the grand jury investigating President Clinton.

Matthew served as counsel to the United States Secret Service during several other independent counsel investigations, including the White House Travel Office, Monica Lewinsky, and various fundraising activities.  Matthew provided legal guidance to Secret Service agents concerning issues of protection and criminal investigations. Matthew developed significant investigative skills while serving at a premier law enforcement agency.

Spending over seven years at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Matthew served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Executive, Narcotics, Major Crimes and Appellate Divisions, handling a wide variety of cases from investigation through trial. With numerous jury trials, Matthew has extensive experience prosecuting fraud matters, violent crimes, firearms offenses, and major narcotics cases.

During his time at the United States Attorney's Office, Matthew was a member of the executive division charged with the daily operation of the third largest district in the country consisting of over 225 federal prosecutors.  First serving as Special Counsel for Public Affairs, Matthew was responsible for communication with the media for all matters within the Southern District of Florida.  Later as the Special Counsel to the United States Attorney, Matthew supervised the Office of the Special Counsel for Public Affairs.  In addition, Matthew chaired the hiring committee and advised the United States Attorney on significant matters including hiring, promotion, staffing, case management, and indictment review.

Matthew also served as a Senior Counsel with the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C.  On behalf of the Red Cross, a multi-billion dollar per year 501(c)(3) corporation, he directed a team of forty investigators who reviewed over 25,000 allegations of Hurricane Katrina related fraud, which represented millions in donor dollars that the team sought to recover. Matthew developed new parameters for fraud prevention during major disasters to guide Red Cross chapters in the field. Matthew supervised the investigators in developing the evidence necessary to provide the United States Department of Justice with referrals for prosecution.

At the Red Cross, Matthew conducted many internal investigations regarding allegations of misconduct and was also responsible for compliance with the Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations. In that capacity, Matthew ensured that the organization adhered to the various country-specific U.S. economic sanctions program restrictions. Matthew provided guidance on other compliance matters and managed outside counsel.