Congratulations to Matt Widmer, our November Volunteer Attorney of the Month!
Matt is an attorney at Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot in Anchorage where he is currently working on a custody case for ANDVSA in Valdez. To those considering taking a case with ANDVSA, he says that if you want to dedicate and donate your time, ANDVSA can find something for you to do regardless of your level of comfort practicing in family law. Additionally, Matt believes that whether or not you’re ultimately successful in accomplishing your client’s goals, you’re giving that client an opportunity to be heard: something that is so foreign to many victims and survivors of domestic violence. While Matt had only limited family law experience prior to taking on his current ANDVSA case, he’s always aware of the very pronounced and immediate impact these matters can have on a person’s life. As a litigator, he finds that taking ANDVSA cases also gives him the chance to practice in courts across the state where he may not otherwise have experience.
Matt originally pursued a degree in civil engineering before pivoting and receiving degrees in History and English from Virginia Tech. After working for a publishing company that was interpreting tax laws, Matt was encouraged to consider a legal career. He attended William and Mary Law School, and soon after graduation found himself in a courtroom in Bethel practicing under a legal intern permit with Angstman Law Office. After five years in Bethel, Matt moved to Anchorage where he spent over eight years in indigent criminal defense: first at the Office of Public Advocacy and then at the Alaska Public Defender Agency. For the past seven years, he has worked at Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot, where he enjoys the ability to practice in a variety of areas, including complex litigation and homeowners’ association law, while still handling the occasional criminal case. Going forward, Matt hopes to always have one open ANDVSA case due to the need throughout the State.
Beyond taking on pro bono cases for ANDVSA and his regular workload, Matt sits on the boards of the Anchorage Bar Association, Junior Achievement of Alaska, and the Alaska Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He also is involved with Anchorage Youth Court as both an instructor and occasional legal mentor to the program. In his spare time, Matt practices aikido (a Japanese defensive martial art) with Aikido of Alaska and plays soccer at the Dome, though he recognizes that after 40 years of playing soccer he has more games behind him than ahead of him!
Thank you, Matt, for your generous donation of time and energy towards improving the safety of survivors of domestic violence!