jmc@groom.com
202-861-0178
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Matthew Calloway believes that employee benefits law, like playing guitar, is first and foremost about the fundamentals.  "Once you learn the basic chords, you can begin experimenting with different genres and ultimately master the ones you enjoy most."  Matthew sees his Groom colleagues as virtuosos in various sub-genres of the art of employee benefits, from plan design and taxation issues to health care regulation, ERISA litigation, and other specialties.

Matthew's genre of choice in employee benefits practice is fiduciary responsibility.  “In a specialized area like employee benefits law, clients need someone to scrutinize the latest trends and educate them about regulatory compliance,” says Matthew.  “By helping clients understand and comply with the law from the beginning, I can help them avoid expensive and time-consuming litigation down the road.”  He himself has recently helped clients comply with ERISA's fiduciary regulations.

In one instance an employer wanted to purchase its stock from an employee benefit plan sponsored by an affiliate company.  Matthew researched Department of Labor advisory materials to help the employer comply with ERISA's prohibited-transaction restrictions.

Matthew earned his B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina, where he graduated with honors and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.  He earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was a Comments Editor on the North Carolina Law Review.

“My first college major was engineering,” says Matthew, “but I enjoyed literature classes and ultimately changed my major to English.  The legal profession allows me to combine my analytical and language skills.  Like engineering, practicing law involves creative problem-solving.  Law is also rooted in language and requires strong writing ability.”

Matthew previously put his skills to work at the U.S. Department of Labor as an attorney in the Office of the Solicitor's Honors Program.  In May 2007, Matthew joined Groom where he strives to keep his clients’ long-term business goals in mind.  “I want not only to give excellent legal advice tailored to a specific situation, but also to relate that advice to the larger context and see the big-picture implications.”

Matthew is admitted to practice in North Carolina and in the District of Columbia.