Matthew A. Fitzgerald

Matt Fitzgerald is co-leader of the appeals and issues practice group at McGuireWoods LLP. He has argued more than 40 appeals in federal and state courts nationwide and is the principal author of more than 100 appellate briefs. His appellate work spans arbitration, class actions, commercial contracts, and energy-related appeals from FERC.

Matt argued and won Collins v. Virginia, 584 U.S. 586 (2018), a U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing that police must generally obtain a warrant to search a vehicle parked on private property. He previously clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge Edward E. Carnes of the Eleventh Circuit.

In 2017, Empirical SCOTUS recognized Matt as the author of the best-written cert petition of the term, based on analysis by BriefCatch software. A frequent speaker on appellate writing, he developed a CLE course on written advocacy that has received outstanding feedback and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.

Matt’s approach to appellate work blends persuasive writing, deep legal insight, and clarity of thought—qualities that make him a go-to lawyer for high-stakes appeals.