Matt Winter

Matt Winter has been practicing law for over 20 years and has dedicated his legal career to helping others. At Davis Levin Livingston, his practice focuses on medical malpractice, birth injury, personal injury, insurance bad faith, and civil rights matters. When he takes on a case, he commits fully, applying his considerable knowledge and experience to secure the best possible outcome for his clients.

Mr. Winter graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 1994 and attended California Western School of Law. He graduated from law school in 1997 and began his legal career at Federal Defenders of San Diego. There, he specialized in complex litigation and trial, conducting over thirty-five jury trials in Federal District Court and arguing numerous cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2005, he and his family moved to Hawaii and he joined the Federal Public Defender Office in Honolulu. There, he continued his trial practice in Federal District Court until joining Davis Levin Livingston in 2011. Mr. Winter’s career at Davis Levin Livingston has been extremely successful due to his complete commitment to each case and client. He is also a strong advocate for civil rights and handles cases on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii. In 2015, he was honored by Governor David Y. Ige and the Hawaii Supreme Court with an award for his outstanding pro bono service to the people of Hawaii.

Mr. Winter is admitted to practice law in the states of California and Hawaii, the Federal District Court of Hawaii, the Federal District Court for the Southern District of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. In 2007 and 2018, Mr. Winter was appointed to serve three-year terms as a Lawyer Delegate to the Hawaii District Court Judicial Conference. He is a current member of the ACLU of Hawaii’s Litigation Committee and a past board member of the Hawaii Federal Bar Association. During his career, Mr. Winter has taught trial skills to numerous attorneys and has served on the faculty for the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Trial Skills Academy.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Class Actions
• Civil Rights
• Consumer Rights
• Insurance Bad Faith
• Medical Malpractice
• Personal Injury

EDUCATION

• University of California, San Diego, 1994
• California Western School of Law, 1997

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Hawaii State Bar, 2006
• California State Bar, 1997
• United States Supreme Court, 2002
• United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1998
• United States District Court, District of Hawaii, 2006
• United States District Court, Southern District of California, 1998

PROFESSIONAL HONORS & ASSOCIATIONS

• Governor and Hawaii Representative to the National Board of Governors for the American Association of Justice (AAJ), 2017-present
• Federal Magistrate Judge Selection Committee Member, U.S. District Court Hawaii, 2018
• Lawyer Delegate, U.S. District Court, Hawaii District Judicial Conference, 2007-2009 and 2018-2020
• President, Hawaii Association for Justice, 2017-2018
• Vice-President Elect, Hawaii Association for Justice, 2016-2017
• Pro Bono Coordinator, Civil Pro Bono Panel, U.S. District Court Hawaii, 2016-2017
• Litigation Committee Member, ACLU Hawaii
• Volunteer Arbitrator, Court Annexed Arbitration Program, 1st Circuit, State of Hawaii, 2015-present
• Fellow, Pound Civil Justice Institute
• Recipient, Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award and Certificate of Special Recognition from Governor David Y. Ige and The Hawaii Access to Justice Commission, 2015
• Board Member, Federal Bar Association, Hawaii Chapter, 2008-2010
• Graduate, Trial Practice Institute of the National Criminal Defense College, Macon, GA, 1999
• Selected to Best Lawyers Lawyers in America since 2020
• Board Member, Hawaii State Bar Foundation, 2020-present
• President, Hawaii State Bar Foundation, 2023-2024