Matthew D. Schelkopf is an attorney in the Firm’s Haverford office with extensive trial and courtroom experience.  His practice is devoted to litigation, with an emphasis on class actions involving automotive defects, consumer protection, defective products and false advertising.  Matthew is a member of the Firm’s Case Development Group, and is responsible for identifying and assessing potential new cases.

While working towards his juris doctorate, he was an active member of the Trial Advocacy Society and an Executive Board Member of the Moot Court Honor Society. In 2000, he attended the University of Geneva Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland where he studied health law and international criminal law.  He was one of five students inducted into the National Order of Barristers in 2002.

After graduation, Matthew became a criminal prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office of York County.  He litigated 27 jury trials and over 50 bench trials.  He quickly progressed to Senior Deputy Prosecutor where he headed a trial team responsible for approximately 300 felony and misdemeanor cases each quarterly trial term.  During this period, he wrote and implemented a county handbook defining extradition policies and procedures used in returning fugitives to Pennsylvania for prosecution.

In 2004, he became a full-time associate with a suburban law firm and focused on civil trial litigation throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  In 2006, he was assistant counsel in a Philadelphia County trial resulting in a $30,000,000.00 jury verdict in favor of his clients – the largest state verdict recorded for that year.  He has also been responsible for numerous appeals establishing a revised application of the law in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. See C.W. v. Cooper Health System, 388 N.J. 42 (NJ App. 2006) and Miller v. Ginsberg, 2005 Pa. Super 136 (Pa. Super. 2005).

He has presented oral arguments before the Pennsylvania and New Jersey appellate courts and also volunteered in judging the annual University of Pennsylvania mock trial competitions.  He has organized group participation in the Habitat for Humanity foundation and currently works in a pro bono capacity with both the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project and the Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Outside of the office, Matthew enjoys mountain biking, skiing and restoring classic automobiles.