MATTHEW SULLIVAN

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Biography:

Matt is licensed to practice before all North Carolina State Courts, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the North Carolina and American Bar Associations, the Eighth Judicial District Bar Association, the Lenoir County Bar Association (president 1997–1998), the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (member of the Board of Governors), and the Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court.

Matt joined White & Allen in 1995. His practice is concentrated in the areas of personal injury, tractor-trailer accidents, industrial accidents, wrongful death, product liability and product failures, and workers’ compensation.

Matt works to build trust with his clients through honesty and sincerity and is quoted as saying, “I try to relay both the good and bad about each case I handle. I feel as though sincerity educates my clients. It helps temper an already stressful situation, and it helps manage expectations in most instances.”

Education

Matt earned his undergraduate degree (B.S., magna cum laude) in administration of justice and public affairs in 1990 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He attended the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University, where he was the Wiggins Scholar, Editor-in-Chief of the Campbell Law Review, Paul Dennis Award Recipient, and inducted into the International Order of Barristers. Matt received his Juris Doctor (magna cum laude) in 1995.

Awards & Recognition

AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell
North Carolina Super Lawyers list, 2017 – 2024
Peer selected for North Carolina Business Magazine Legal Elite for Litigation, since 2013
The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Product Liability Litigation, since 2010
2021 NC Advocates for Justice Ebbie Award
2021 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Inaugural “Power List for Personal Injury” Professional & Community Affiliations
Participated in the United Way, Kinston Evening Rotary, and the Kinston-Lenoir Chamber of Commerce
North Carolina Advocates of Justice, Board of Governors, 2008-2014
Previous Lenoir Committee of 100 board member
Moss Hill Sporting and Therapeutic Society
North Lenoir Booster Club (Past President)

Representative Experience and Cases

Represented individuals and families related to various personal injury and wrongful death cases. Injuries have included traumatic brain injuries, amputations, back and spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, and fatalities.

The work involved requires extensive experience, not just with the applicable legal concepts but also a solid working relationship with other experts in various professions, including medical personnel, engineers, life care planners, and economists.

Industrial Accidents and Explosions:

Co-lead counsel for numerous families and workers who were injured or killed in an industrial plant explosion.
Obtained over $43 million in compensation for the families and workers.

Tractor-Trailer and Commercial Vehicles:

Nighttime Collisions
Backing and Crossing Collisions
Failure to Warn approaching motorist and pedestrians
Failing to follow safety guidelines and practices
Intersection Collisions
Leaving the travel lane striking pedestrians and other vehicles

Motor Vehicles:

Drinking and Driving wrecks
Distracted Driving
Speeding
Intersection Collisions

Products Liability:

Defective Products placed on business property
Defective Helmets

Workplace Accidents:

Deck and Porch Collapses
Explosions

Recreational/Business Injuries:

Over service of alcohol
Slip and Fall
Inadequate Security

Vehicles:

ATV’s
Large Commercial Fishing vessels
Maritime crafts
Jet skis
Golf carts