Matt is a shareholder at Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S. He practices in the fields of insurance coverage, insurance special investigations, bad faith, and insurance defense. He has 27 years’ experience practicing insurance coverage law, both as a private practitioner, and as in-house coverage counsel for a multi-national insurer.
Matt’s experience includes providing coverage advice with respect to virtually all lines of insurance (personal and commercial auto, homeowner property and casualty, commercial property and general liability, umbrella, excess, specialty lines and agricultural policies). Matt has tried a number of coverage cases to conclusion, including several large environmental cases involving the Portland Superfund site. Matt also advises clients regarding insurer special investigations and examinations under oath, litigates insurance coverage and bad faith suits; assists insurers with drafting policy forms; and assists insurers with regulatory matters.
- Recognized as a "Super Lawyer" from 2002 to 2004 and 2015 to 2023 by Super Lawyers magazine
- "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating obtainable by members of the legal community
- Washington State Bar Association
- King County Bar Association
- Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
- Co-Presenter: “Slam Dunk: Fraud and Misrepresentation … A Day at the Beach: IFCA and Cedell,” PSAA & WDTL Insurance claims Olympiad, March 25, 2016
- Co-Presenter: “Cedell v. Farmers: Practical Implications for Lawyers and Insurers,” Washington Defense Lawyers Annual Insurance Seminar, April 23, 2015
- Presenter: “Cross-Border Coverage Considerations,” Joint Conference of the Alaska, California and Washington Defense Bar Associations, July 12, 2014
- Presenter: “Duty to Defend: Use of Extrinsic Evidence,” Northwest Insurance Claims Association, September 28, 2012
- Co-Presenter: “Between a Rock and the Sword of Damocles: Insurer-Appointed Defense Counsel, Ethics, and the Covenant Judgment,” 2010 Insurance Law Coverage Update, Forsberg & Umlauf seminar, November 4, 2010
- Presenter: “A Client’s Perspective,” WDTL Sunbreak – Good Times in Bad Faith Litigation, March 12, 2005
J.D., University of Puget Sound School of Law, 1989, cum laude
- Law Review
B.A., University of Washington, 1986, magna cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society
- Golden Key National Honor Society
- State of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
