Matt Rita's practice encompasses complex litigation at both the trial and appellate levels, with substantial experience in the employment law arena. The matters he has handled have involved a broad range of issues, such as Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower complaints, charges of age discrimination, harassment allegations, trade secret disputes, qui tam litigation and contract cases. Matt has represented numerous clients before federal and state courts and agencies, as well as in arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings. His courtroom victories have included a multi-million-dollar jury verdict on a breach-of-contract counterclaim, and the successful defense of a high-profile lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Matt serves on the American Bar Association's Litigation Section Committees on Employment & Labor Relations, Ethics & Professionalism and Pretrial Practice & Discovery. In addition, he is a member of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, for which he has advanced public legal education efforts by volunteering as a classroom presenter in the Denver Public Schools.
While serving as an advocate in adversarial contexts, Matt provides substantive legal advice and counseling on an ongoing basis. He strives to keep clients apprised of developments in the law, both informally and through publications and presentations. Most recently, he presented a national webinar on caregivers in the modern workplace, which followed several presentations he had given on topics such as new Federal Rule of Evidence 502 and ethical issues in the age of electronic discovery.
Before entering private practice, Matt was a law clerk for Chief Judge Joseph L. Tauro of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. While on the Board of Editors for the Cornell Law Review, he was honored with the Herbert R. Reif Prize for an article he wrote on employment taxes.
Recent Experience
ˇ Successfully represented a public company during a federal agency investigation of a Sarbanes-Oxley retaliation complaint.
ˇ Defeated a motion for preliminary injunction filed by a former dealer against a software developer with which it claimed to have an exclusive distributorship.
Recent Publications
ˇ Article: "Family Responsibilities Discrimination: An Evolving Theory Under Federal Law," Employment & Labor Relations Law, Fall 2008
ˇ Blog: "Office Scuttlebutt," available at http://employmentlawpost.com/ thatswhatshesaid/2009/09/18/office-scuttlebutt/
Honors and Awards
ˇ AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
ˇ "Colorado Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics magazine
Memberships
American Bar Association (Litigation Section)
Colorado Bar Association
Denver Bar Association
Catholic Lawyers Guild
Faculty of Federal Advocates
Colorado Judicial Institute