WHO IS YOUR ATTORNEY?

Matthew "Mateo" A. Katz, Esq.

A representative of the common man and woman to enforce your legal rights.

Matthew Katz is someone who for years has been committed to fighting for the rights of poor and minority communities, and now for his clients. Since 1989, he has been an organizer and participant in various projects and forms of social activism to improve the human condition and work to ensure that the civil rights to which we are all entitled are protected. Here, we delineate the various activities and accomplishments of his student, political and professional life.

Academic and Political Activities

Since 1989 Organizer and participant in marches and protests for human and civil rights, the rights of unions, workers and against the KKK, starting at Evanston Township High School.

1993-1997 Honors student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in History and Education. Earned a Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching of Social Studies. 3.5/4.0 GPA.

Summer 1994 Co-organizer of Zapatista Solidarity, at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, a group which organized to support the Mexican indigenous and served as one of four-thousand participants from forty-four countries in the International Encounter for Humanity and Against Neo-Liberalism as a representative of the U of I chapter to dialogue with activists and with the Zapatistas in the Lacandon Rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico.

Fall 1995 Honors student at the University of Granada, Granada, Spain, in history, politics and language.

1995-1996 International reporter for the radio program, Labor Beat, Champaign Public Radio, calling in analyses of the international labor movement from Mexico and Spain.

Spring 1996 Principal organizer of the student movement, March for Justice, in Champaign-Urbana, in which hundreds of students marched together in protest against Illinois' version of California's Proposition 187, which forced immigrants to show ID/proof of citizenship before being provided health care at hospitals or before being admitted to public schools, and against the cutbacks in student loans and repeal of affirmative-action programs in college admissions.

Summer 1996 One of twelve students who traveled to Mexico City to study the history of the Mexican Revolution and the life of Emiliano Zapata at the International University of the United States, where he earned academic honors.

1996-1997 Weekly columnist for the Daily Illini Newspaper in Champaign, Illinois, where he wrote about human rights, government corruption, police brutality throughout the Americas and about the marches and protests in which he and other political activists participated, including the Latino March on Washington, in October of 1996.

2000-2003 Night student at DePaul University College of Law, where he completed a four-year program in three years and three summers, while still teaching full-time and coaching the Farragut debate team. Graduated in the top 20% of his class.

Summer 2002 Participated in a program of the William and Mary Law School based in Madrid, Spain, where he completed a week-long practicum with the Baker & McKenzie Law Firm and studied international commercial law and European Union law with Spanish attorneys and law professors.

2002-2003 Winner of two CALI Awards for being the highest-scoring student in the courses, Constitutional Law and Trial Advocacy, at DePaul University College of Law. He also won a scholarship to attend the Association of Trial Lawyer's of America's annual conference in San Francisco, California to represent DePaul College of Law its top trial advocacy student of the school year.

August 2003 Received his Juris Doctor (Law Degree) from DePaul University College of Law. GPA 3.5/4.0

Professional Activities

1997-2004 Instructor of U.S. History, U.S. Government and Law, History of Latin-America, World Studies and Economics, at Farragut Career Academy high school in Little Village, Chicago, Illinois.

1997-2003 Winner of six awards for educational programs at Farragut high school, one of which included an Oppenheimer Grant for the Race, History and YOU project, which, for four consecutive years on Saturdays in May, brought hundreds of high-schoolers from throughout Chicagoland to be taught about the history of social justice in the Americas by Farragut high school students. Another grant funded travel to Germany as part of an Illinois State Board of Education delegation to meet with German dignitaries and develop post-Holocaust era curriculum for U.S. schools. Another award was granted by the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities to study the history of cartography and develop curriculum at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

1998-2003 Founder and coach of the Farragut Debate Team, together with 38-year Farragut veteran teacher Charles Kuner, which beat Whitney-Young high school (Chicago's flagship magnet high school) for the tournament championship at one of its first debate tournament matches.

2000-Present Founder of the law program at Farragut Career Academy; organized the donation of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of law books to create the first complete Federal and State (Illinois) law library in an American high school to be used in law-instruction of high school students. The library helps students research, read and brief court cases and conduct court observations as part of the instructional program. Several area law-firms and law schools donated to the collection.

Summer 2001 Worked as law clerk for the Lawyer's Committee for Better Housing, where he assisted attorneys represent indigent renters and protect them from wrongful eviction and, for many, probable homelessness. Also helped to translate the firm's Renter's Rights Guide.

2000-2003 Visitor and supporter of the Huichol indigenous group of Nayarit, Mexico, during his summer and winter vacations.

2003 Author of the text, Law School for High School Students (and for anybody else that wants the simple version), which teaches high school students how to read and analyze case law and statutes, and understand the basics of several areas of law, including criminal procedure and constitutional law.

Fall 2003 Winner of the community leadership award from the Little Village Community Development Corporation (LVCDC) for having involved Farragut students in a hands-on educational program to promote environmental activism in the Little Village community.

Summer 2003 Winner of the Summer Public Interest Internship scholarship/award from the Public Interest Law Institute (PILI) foundation to work for latino civil rights at the law firm, MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Foundation), where he worked with attorneys and other staff on civil rights lawsuits.

2004 Winner of the Little Village Educator of the Year award given by the community scholarship initiative, Fuerza.

May 2004 Admitted to the Illinois Bar Licensed to practice law in Illinois by the Illinois Supreme Court.

June 2004 Admitted to practice law before the Federal Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Present Member and participant in the following professional organizations:

ATLA (Association of Trial Lawyers of America), member of the civil rights and employment law sections. Participant in the annual conference in Boston, MA, July, 2004.

CBA (Chicago Bar Association), member of the criminal defense and immigration sections.

ISBA (Illinois State Bar Association)

ABA (American Bar Association)

(None of these affiliations in addition to the law license are required of Illinois attorneys to become licensed to practice law in Illinois or in the federal courts.)

A Sampling of Victories for Clients in Criminal, Family and Civil Law

December 2004 Recovered for client $50,000 in past-due debts by negotiating and drafting settlement agreement to produce a return of the funds through a real estate sale proceeds disbursement.

December 2004 Reduced marital debt of client from over $50,000 to less than $15,000 in post-decree divorce proceeding.

March 2005 Filed and presented Emergency Motion for Custody in Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County on behalf of out-of-state mother whose ex-boyfriend and father of her five children had abducted the children and hidden them in Cicero, Illinois. Facilitated the dispatch of teams of Cook County Sheriffs to the children's schools to recover them and return them to their rightful custodian.

July 2005 Removed warrant from client's record and prevented likely arrest and deportation despite client's absence from court during hearing on motion to vacate warrant.

August 2005 After years of mother fighting for custody and right to take daughter to Mexico with a legal aid lawyer, after hiring attorney Katz, within months attorney obtained court order granting custody and Mexican residence to mother, who today lives happily in Guadalajara, Jalisco with her beautiful daughter.

September 2005 Client whose DUI charge was upgraded to several felony count indictments and saw his case transferred to the felony courthouse at 26th and California when State realized crash victim had suffered significant injury, saw no conviction after attorney Katz negotiated a supervision disposition with the state on only one charge. The remaining charges were dismissed.

October 2005 Won motion to suppress cocaine evidence on behalf of lawful permanent resident who would have suffered deportation and a felony conviction but instead saw his case dismissed and no criminal or immigration consequence whatsoever.

December 2005 Client's wife left to Florida with their daughter and no notice to father. Attorney Katz tracked down wife in Florida, served her with custody petition and won court battle against Chicago legal aid (who represented wife) in forcing wife to return to Chicago with the parties' child. Father now spends every weekend with his daughter in his home town.

March 2006 Obtained bail in federal case for client charged with running a fraudulent driver's license conspiracy, despite federal pre-trial services recommending client be detained and client not being a legal resident of the United States. Veteran criminal defense attorneys had advised attorney Katz, this could not be done!

April 2006 Stopped pending foreclosure against client's house by predatory lender and consumer fraud perpetrating home repair villain, filing and fighting counter-claims against repair business intent on stealing client's home. Katz Law Office, Ltd. appeared on Channel 7 News and local newspapers regarding its representation of this client and calling out of the wrongdoings of home repair fraud.

May 2006 Secured adoption of Mexican niece for her loving current mother and father, despite whereabouts of biological mother and father being unknown.

July 2006 Attorney Katz gained custody of her daughter for mother facing hostile allegations of abuse and neglect from angry ex-husband. Mother now has full custody and father only supervised visitation rights.

August 2006 Obtained thousands of dollars in monthly child support and alimony for divorcee victimized by her adulterous husband. Client kept the marital residence, both automobiles and custody of the children.

September 2006 Won motion to dismiss in client's two felony DUI charges in DuPage County, liberating incarcerated defendant from jail and ending the prosecution of both cases as against client. The judge's ruling in the first case mirrored the language in Attorney Katz's motion and was used to beat the second case in a neighboring courtroom.

October 2006 Saved more than $90,000 in real estate equity for divorce client, stopping foreclosure of marital residence and sale of home by husband intent on ruining her financial future. Client will receive tens of thousands of dollars she otherwise never would have seen.

November 2006 on more than $100,000 in previously denied insurance coverage for client whose home was destroyed by fire.

January 2006 Client came to KLOL having been put out of his home by his wife's order of protection. Got order of protection against client vacated, and wife to move out of client's home, helping to make divorce proceeding more efficient and less costly.

October 2007 Opens third office, now reaching the North Side of Chicago, at 3157 North California Avenue .

February 2008 Chicago Lawyer magazine publishes four page profile article on Mr. Katz.

February & March 2008 Conducts over 120 free initial consultations for Mexican Nationals with hopes of immigrating legally to the United States from KLOL's newly opened Mexico City Office, in Colonia Polanco.

April 2008 Awarded the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award by the DePaul University College of Law LLSA (Latino Law Student's Association).