Matthew A. Taylor

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

  • Matthew A. Taylor
  • Phone: +1 215 979 1140

    Matthew A. Taylor - LinkedIn Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris LLP
    30 South 17th Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
    USA

Matthew A. Taylor is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the firm and also serves on the firm's Executive Committee.

Mr. Taylor practices in the area of commercial litigation, handling matters in state and federal courts across the United States. Mr. Taylor also represents corporate boards and individual corporate officers and directors in internal and government investigations and related proceedings. He is an active trial lawyer dealing with matters in banking and securities law, RICO, corporate governance, commercial real estate, computer software and hardware, product liability (with a concentration in medical devices), and corporate directors and officers liability and indemnification. Mr. Taylor handles a wide range of employment matters involving noncompete, trade secrets and business related torts. Mr. Taylor represents medical device manufacturers nationally in product liability matters and in connection with commercial disputes between the manufacturer and its distributors.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York in 1989, Mr. Taylor is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is a member of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations and the International Association of Defense Counsel. He is listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in general commercial litigation. Mr. Taylor is a 1989 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and a graduate of Boston College.

Representative Matters

  • Commercial Litigation – Computer Software Litigation – Lockheed Martin Transportation Security Solutions v. MTA Capital Construction Co. (S.D.N.Y.) – Lead trial counsel for Lockheed Martin in a contractual dispute arising from an agreement between the parties for the design, development and installation of an integrated electronic security system for New York City's public transportation system, with damages estimated at more than $130 million.
  • Corporate Governance and Securities Litigation – Lead counsel for the CEO of a multibillion-dollar energy company in connection with internal investigations into alleged conflicts of interests, breaches of fiduciary duties and violations of securities laws. The matter also resulted in approximately 30 derivative class action lawsuits and investigations by The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, The U.S. Department of Justice, New York Attorney General and other state proceedings.
  • Medical Device Litigation – Donald S. DeLine v. Wright Medical Technology, Inc., et al., No. 14SL-CC01443, Mo. Cir., St. Louis Co. (2016) – Lead trial counsel for a global medical device manufacturer related to its "metal on metal" hip implant system that the plaintiff alleged was defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous. Obtained a defense verdict on all counts following a two week jury trial.
  • RICO Litigation - Kolar v. Preferred Real Estate Investments, Inc., No. 08-3119, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 702 (3d Cir. Jan. 12, 2010) — Lead trial and appellate counsel on behalf of a real estate developer and its owner in connection with a civil RICO action brought against them by the developer's former partner and president. Secured the dismissal of the RICO claims at the trial level and argued the appeal before the Third Circuit, which rendered a unanimous opinion sustaining the lower court's dismissal of the claims. The dismissal was based on the plaintiff's failure to allege facts that supported claims of "'pattern" and predicate acts pursuant to the RICO Act.
  • Commercial Litigation – Software Implementation – Lead trial counsel in defense of a tier-one public sector software developer in claims brought by a California county government in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The claims against our client were founded in RICO and other business torts in connection with the selection of the third-party software implementation vendor. The RICO counts were dismissed, and the case was remanded to California state court. The matter was dismissed after years of litigation with our client paying zero dollars.
  • Computer Software Litigation – Lead trial counsel in defense of claims brought by various municipalities against a tier-one global software company in connection with the licensing and implementation of public sector enterprise software.
  • Medical Device Litigation – National Trial Counsel – Lead trial counsel for a global medical device manufacturer related to its "metal on metal" hip implant system. Hundreds of cases are part of a MDL being handled in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Georgia and consolidated matters in the state court of California.
  • Corporate Director and Officer Liability and Indemnification - VonFeldt v. Stifel Financial Corp., 714 A.2d 79 (Del. 1998) — lead trial and appellate counsel; landmark decision regarding a parent corporation's obligation to indemnify officers and directors of wholly owned subsidiaries.
  • Corporate Director and Officer Liability and Indemnification – Cochran v. Stifel Financial Corp. 809 A.2d. 555 (Del. 2002) – lead trial and appellate counsel in this case of first impression involving former officer and director's claim for the reimbursement of attorneys' fees and defense cost arising out of a successful defense of criminal charges involving the government's investigation into various municipal finance transactions. Also, opinion established new law on corporation's duty to pay "fees for fees" for director's costs and fees in pursuing indemnification.
  • Commercial Litigation/Commodities Trading – Lead counsel in AAA arbitration on behalf of trader and supplier of precious metals against large commercial purchaser of precious metals and other commodities. Claims arose out of a supply agreement and centered around the price of multiple trades over a six-month period and the method of setting the base price of the subject metal. The matter involved allegations of unfair price setting, "battle of the forms" and contract interpretation.
  • Banking and Finance Litigation: Baker, et al. v. Summit Bank, E.D. Pennsylvania, C.A. No. 99-CV-2010 — Successful defense of banking institution in a $30 million class action brought by group of securities holders pursuant to an indenture agreement and the Trust Indenture Act. The bank was granted summary judgment by the district court, and that order was unanimously affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
  • West Virginia Medical Device Litigation — Lead trial counsel in over 40 consolidated matters in West Virginia in defense of global medical device manufacturer. Successfully defended the claims made by the plaintiffs which ranged from improper off-label use of biologics products, illegal kick-backs to physicians, fraud and general medical device product liability.
  • Real Estate Litigation — Secured multimillion-dollar settlement on behalf of major commercial real estate and Brownfield developer in connection with the sale and planned development of former industrial site in a Northeast Pennsylvania town. The matter centered around the enforceability and legal effect of a letter of intent for the sale of commercial real estate.
  • Securities Litigation – Lead trial counsel and appellate counsel in a securities matter involving the rights of warrant holders in stock of a wholly owned subsidiary company. Pursuant to the warrant, the warrant holders could exercise those warrants upon the commencement of a planned IPO of the subsidiary. Despite the fact that the subsidiary did not go through with a planned IPO, which was the trigger for any right to exercise the warrants, the plaintiffs/warrant holders brought suit against the parent, claiming that when the subsidiary merged back into the publicly traded parent that such a transaction was a "de facto IPO," triggering the right to exercise the warrants. We successfully defended matter at trial level and secured summary judgment for parent company. The Pennsylvania Superior Court unanimously upheld the trial court summary judgment order.
  • Commercial Litigation - Manufacturer/Distributor Disputes – Wright Medical Technology v. The Somers Group, et al., 37 F. Supp. 2d 673 (D.N.J. 1999) — Obtained preliminary injunction on behalf of plaintiff, a medical device manufacturing company, against medical device distributor for breach of noncompete and trade-secrets clause in distribution agreement.

  • Represented prominent law firm and its chairman against allegations of wrongful use of civil proceedings. The Court granted our motion to dismiss.

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New York
  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Education

  • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1989
  • Boston College, B.A. English, 1986

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 2018-present
    - Member of Executive Committee, 2009-present
    - Chair, Trial Practice Group, 2008-2017
    - Partner, 1999-present
    - Associate, 1997-1999

  • Taylor & Taylor
    - Trial Lawyer, 1991-1997
  • Emmet, Marvin & Martin
    - Associate, 1989-1991

Professional Activities

  • Master: University of Pennsylvania Law School American Inn of Court
  • Faculty Member, IADC Trial Academy at Stanford Law School, 2011
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Philadelphia Bar Association

Honors and Awards

  • Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2008-2024

  • Named a BTI Client Service All-Star Attorney, 2022
  • Named a "Distinguished Leader" by The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards 2021
  • Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Listed in Pennsylvania Trailblazers, The Legal Intelligencer, 2019

  • Philadelphia Inquirer: Influencer of Law, 2019

  • Philadelphia Business Journal Best of the Bar: Top Lawyer 2017
  • Listed in Best Lawyers Greater Philadelphia, 2016

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2015

  • Listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • CEO Council for Growth, a Council of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

  • Board Member, BLOCS "Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools"

Board Memberships

  • Member, Board of Visitors, Georgetown Law
  • Board Member, Kimmel Center, Inc.
  • Member, Board of Managers, Duane Morris and Selvam LLP 

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Host, Global Arbitration Seminar, Duane Morris & Selvam LLP, Singapore, October 2, 2012
  • Presenter, "The Latest Civil Law Issues," Philadelphia Bar Association's Federal Bench Bar Conference, June 8, 2012