Matthew D. Besser
216-245-4216
MATTHEW D. BESSER focuses his practice on employment discrimination and civil rights. He has experience in all aspects of litigation, from negotiation through trial and final appellate review. Having worked for several years at a large law firm representing corporate defendants in employment disputes, he is able to offer a unique perspective to plaintiffs with employment- related claims. Besser also has significant experience as an appellate advocate, authoring many briefs and arguing several cases before the Ohio and federal courts of appeal, and teaching appellate advocacy at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Besser graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he received awards for the top grade in Trial Advocacy, Civil Litigation, Disability Discrimination, and Evidence. He also received the Donald S. Teller Memorial Award for the student note contributing most significantly to The Ohio State Law Journal. After law school, Besser served as Law Clerk to Judge Richard L. Nygaard on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
In 2011, Besser was named to the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, and was also selected as one of only twenty-four lawyers in the State of Ohio to participate in the Ohio State Bar Association's 2011 Leadership Academy.
Bar Admissions
- Ohio, 2004
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, 2005
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2005
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2005
Education
- The Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law, Columbus, Ohio
- J.D., Summa Cum Laude, 2004
- Law Journal: The Ohio State Law Journal, 2002 - 2004
- The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
- B.A. - 2001
- Major: History
Published Works
- Google Mistrials: What the Legal System Can do to Keep the Internet Out of the Jury Box, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, November, 2010
- The Use of Sex-Stereotyping Claims by LGBT Employees in Ohio, Ohio Lawyer Magazine, January, 2010
- May I Be Recused? The Tension Between Judicial Campaign Speech and Recusal After Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, Ohio State Law Journal, 64 Ohio St. L.J. 1197, 2003
Classes/Seminars
- Appellate Advocacy, Case Western Reserve School of Law, 2008 - 2009
- Social Media and the Law, Cleveland Employment Lawyers Association, 2011 Annual Seminar
- Prop 8 and the Future of Same-Sex Marriage, Panel Moderator, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, January, 2011
- Recent Developments in Employment Discrimination, Dayton Bar Association, April, 2010
- ADA Titles II & III: Public Accommodations and Services, CLE Presentation, 2008
- Determining if an Individual is 'Qualified' Under the ADA, CLE Presentation, 2007
Honors and Awards
- Rising Star in Employment Law, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2009, 2012
- The Donald S. Teller Memorial Award, 2003
- The Judge Joseph H. Harter Memorial Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy, 2004
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee
- Ohio State Bar Association, Leadership Academy, 2011
- Cleveland Employment Inn of Court, Associate & Membership Committee
- Ohio Employment Lawyers Association
- Democratic National Committee, Member, Standing Platform Committee, 2008
- Northeast Ohio Chapter of the American Constitution Society, Member, Executive Committee
Areas of Practice
Employment Discrimination
Appellate Advocacy
Constitutional Law
Executive Severance
Age Discrimination
Disability & Illness Discrimination
LGBT Rights
National Origin Discrimination
Race Discrimination
Religious Discrimination
Sex Discrimination
Freedom of Speech
Employment Law -- Employee
Americans with Disabilities Act -- Employee
Employee Rights -- Employee
Employment Contracts -- Employee
Employment Discrimination -- Employee
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- Employee
Sexual Harassment -- Employee
Wage & Hour Laws -- Employee
Wrongful Termination -- Employee
Complex Litigation
Federal Appellate Practice
Federal Trial Practice
State Appellate Practice
State Trial Practice
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
