Matthew is a founding partner of Phillips Levy Bennett Legal, with a wealth of experience in both administrative and family law.
He commenced his legal career at the NSW Crown Solicitor's Office, acting for government across diverse areas of the law, including class actions, medical negligence and public interest immunity claims. As a Senior Solicitor within the Crown Solicitor’s Child Protection Team, Matthew developed an interest and specialisation in children's legal matters. He acted on instructions from the Department in care and protection proceedings, as well as interventions in family law proceedings. This included judicial review proceedings, urgent parens patriae proceedings (including secure care), District Court care appeals, adoption matters and complex Children's Court proceedings.
Along with Kerri, Matthew established the Appeals and Complex Litigation Unit at Legal Aid NSW, where he undertook complex casework, including medical treatment matters in the FCFCOA, Supreme Court and NCAT as well as regularly acting for children in a broad range of public and private family law matters.
Matthew has significant appellate experience, having conducted matters in the NSW Court of Appeal, the Full Court of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and the High Court.
At Legal Aid, Matthew was responsible for the provision of training, development of resources and assisting other practitioners with complex referrals. He has authored numerous bulletins on specific legal issues for the benefit of Legal Aid lawyers and the profession more broadly.
Matthew draws upon his diverse experience to provide clear and cogent advice, enabling clients to properly understand their options and be guided through difficult decisions.
