Matthew was raised in Southern California. During his youth, Matthew primarily enjoyed playing soccer, going on scuba diving trips, snowboarding, and soaking up the warm California sunshine. Upon graduation from high school he trekked out to the Rocky Mountains for a change of scenery and to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder for his undergraduate studies. Although Matthew loved Colorado, due to his family connections, deep interest in travel, and a drive to become fully fluent in his grandmother’s native tongue, he picked up and spent three wonderful and challenging years working in Osaka, Japan. It was in Osaka that Matthew met and married his wife, Aya. During this time, Matthew always knew that he would return to the States to study law and in 2003 he did so. Matthew returned and attended St. John’s University School of Law in New York. While attending law school, Matthew honed his legal and business skills while working for—among other entities—The Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York and Motorola Japan in Tokyo.

After graduating from law school, Matthew drove back to Boulder, Colorado and worked for two different boutique law firms before joining The Sawaya Law Firm in January 2011. Reflecting the diverse locations in which he has lived, Matthew has been admitted to practice law in the states of Colorado, California, and New York. Matthew is also a member of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the Boulder Bar Association, and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado. He is also a volunteer for the Klein Legal Assistance Clinic for the Homeless, an organization in Boulder dedicated to providing legal assistance to those in need.

In his spare time, Matthew enjoys studying Japanese, reading Western and Japanese literature, making home brew, and both playing and watching soccer. Matthew feels especially strongly about his favorite soccer team - Sheffield Wednesday of Sheffield, England.