Brian P. Matthews
Biography
Brian Matthews is a litigation partner in Haynes Boone’s New York office whose practice focuses on complex commercial disputes. He has particular depth in commercial real estate matters, partnership and limited liability company disputes, and claims arising from business sales, and regularly represents clients in state and federal courts across the country.
Brian represents a broad range of clients, including developers, investors, private equity sponsors, lenders, and commercial property owners. Clients turn to him for practical, creative strategies to resolve high-stakes business disputes efficiently—whether through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or trial.
He regularly handles matters involving breach of contract, business fraud, commercial real estate disputes, partnership and limited liability company disputes, commercial foreclosure and receivership proceedings, and troubled loan restructurings including workouts, forbearance agreements, and deed-in-lieu transactions. Clients rely on Brian for his strategic judgment, his ability to manage complex discovery, and his readiness to try cases when necessary.
Brian also represents clients in mediation, arbitration, and appeals, and has experience with class actions and multidistrict litigation. His work includes disputes over operating agreements, redevelopment projects, joint ventures, noncompete provisions, and professional malpractice claims.
Brian graduated from Rutgers Law School, where he served as co-chair of the Moot Court Board and as a member of the Women's Rights Law Reporter. He received the Myron Harkavy Prize at graduation, an award recognizing the graduating student who shows the most promise as a trial lawyer.
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- Successfully challenged and invalidated an overbroad noncompete provision included as part of a business sale agreement.
- Represented a commercial real estate enterprise in defending the Board of Managers application of the company’s operating agreement.
- Successfully litigated and resolved multiple actions brought against the owner of a mall in Central Florida related to the redevelopment of the mall property
- Successfully defended a small business owner against his prior employer, who brought an action seeking an injunction due to alleged violations of a noncompete and nonsolicitation agreement.
- Represented a private equity firm as a member of a joint venture in a dispute against another member involving a multi-million-dollar development in Brooklyn, New York.
- Counseled a book and magazine distributor in professional malpractice claims against a regional law firm in connection with advice concerning its ERISA planning.
Some of these representations were handled by Brian prior to joining Haynes Boone.
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- New York State Bar Association
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
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- Recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., Ones to Watch, 2021-2024
- Recognized in New Jersey Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, Rising Stars, 2017-2019, 2021-2024. See Award Methodology. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
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Education
- J.D., Rutgers School of Law Newark, 2012
- B.A., College of the Holy Cross, 2007
Clerkships
Law Clerk to the Honorable Ronald B. Graves, J.A.D., in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, 2012-2013
Admissions
- New York
- New Jersey
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
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Do you handle borrower/lender disputes involving commercial real estate?
Yes. I regularly represent both borrowers and lenders in disputes involving commercial mortgage foreclosure, loan defaults, forbearance negotiations, and receivership proceedings. For example, I have defended a borrower against foreclosure of a multi-million-dollar commercial property in New Jersey and have represented numerous lenders seeking enforcement of loan covenants through both negotiated resolution and foreclosure. My practice also includes disputes that arise before, during, and after litigation, from pre-suit strategy through discovery, trial, mediation, arbitration, and appeals.
Can you help with LLC or partnership disputes connected to lending or real estate deals?
Yes. I handle partnership and limited liability company disputes, including disputes over operating agreements and joint ventures. My listed experience also includes representing a private equity firm in a joint venture dispute involving a multi-million-dollar development in Brooklyn and representing a commercial real estate enterprise in a dispute over the application of its operating agreement.
Do you handle disputes tied to business sales?
Yes. My experience includes successfully challenging and invalidating an overbroad noncompete provision that was included in a business sale agreement. More broadly, I handle breach of contract and business fraud disputes that can arise when a transaction or post-closing relationship breaks down.
What kinds of breach of contract matters do you handle?
Breach of contract claims are a core part of my commercial litigation practice. I represent clients in contract-related disputes across a range of business contexts, including commercial real estate matters, business-owner disputes, and other complex commercial cases.
Do you handle disputes in New Jersey?
Yes. I am admitted in New Jersey and in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and I previously clerked for Judge Ronald B. Graves in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. I also have experience appearing in state and federal courts throughout the country, and my Haynes Boone profile includes New Jersey-specific professional affiliations and recognitions.
