Matthew S. Erard received his bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, at which he also received the James B. Angell Scholar award and annual University Honors. While later attending Wayne State University Law School, he clerked for both the ACLU of Michigan and Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice. Upon graduation, Matthew was awarded the Ralph M. Freeman Scholarship Award for Excellence in Evidence from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
After completing law school, Matthew operated a social justice-centered solo practice spanning multiple areas of focus, ranging from First Amendment and election law litigation to housing rights and criminal defense. As a solo practitioner, he successfully litigated multiple constitutional challenges to governmental policies and conduct in both the state’s appellate and federal district courts. While representing opponents of hydraulic fracking, Matthew also argued before the Michigan Supreme Court on a series of constitutional and statutory questions concerning jurisdictional divestiture.
Matthew joined Goodman Hurwitz & James as an associate attorney in June of 2024. He is admitted to practice law in all courts of the state of Michigan, as well as the federal courts for the U.S. Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. Western District of Michigan, and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and is a member of the National Lawyers Guild.