Overview

Matt Hjortsberg is a member of the firm's litigation department. He has extensive experience in a wide variety of civil cases. Although his practice is concentrated in contract disputes and construction litigation, Mr. Hjortsberg has represented clients in business dissolution disputes, theft of trade secrets claims, regulatory investigations and estate & trust litigation matters. He has tried cases in state and federal courts and before the American Arbitration Association. His notable cases include construction claims involving Ronald Reagan Airport, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), and Ripken Stadium as well as regulatory investigations into the credit counseling industry, the successful defense of a local publicly traded company in a suit alleging violations of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, a defense verdict in a multimillion dollar breach of contact claim and the management of several highly contested estate and trust matters.

Mr. Hjortsberg has lectured frequently on electronic discovery issues and served as the chairperson for MICPEL's electronic discovery program. As part of his construction litigation practice, he has also taught seminars on various construction law issues. He serves regularly as an instructor for MICPEL's course on taking and defending depositions and as a faculty member for the Maryland State Bar Association's professionalism course. Mr. Hjortsberg is the co-author in conjunction with the Honorable Paul W. Grimm of the treatise, Fundamentals of Trial Evidence: State and Federal.

Mr. Hjortsberg supervises the firm's pro-bono practice. He spent a week in Biloxi Mississippi providing volunteer legal services to victims of Hurricane Katrina and continues to take on cases as a specially admitted in Mississippi to provide legal services through its volunteer lawyers project. He also provides volunteer legal services to the citizens of Maryland through the Baltimore County Legal Aid office.

Matt Hjortsberg recently joined the board of directors of the Maryland chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for the Maryland Law School Alumni Association.

"In recognition of his dedication to the welfare of his community, the administration of justice, and the traditions of the profession of law," Matt Hjortsberg was initiated as a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation in June of 2008. Membership as a regular Fellow is limited to not more than 2.5% of MSBA membership and invitations are extended only after nomination by a current Fellow and endorsement by the Board of Directors of the Foundation.
He is a member of the Maryland State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar, and is admitted to practice in all State and federal courts in Maryland, the District of Columbia as well as the U. S. Court of Appeals for Fourth Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Hjortsberg graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law with honor in 1996, where he was a member of the Maryland Law Review, and served as a Notes & Comments Editor. He earned a B.A. from Hobart College in 1992.

Before joining Bowie & Jensen, LLC, Mr. Hjortsberg was an associate at Niles, Barton & Wilmer in Baltimore, where he practiced insurance defense and handled insurance fraud and coverage cases on behalf of carriers. Immediately following graduation from law school he served as a law clerk to the Honorable John Carroll Byrnes of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

In his off time, Mr. Hjortsberg plays tennis and skis.
 

Practice Area:

Business Litigation
Construction Law

Licenses

Admitted to the Maryland State Bar (December 18, 1996)
Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia

Education

University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland, Juris Doctor with honor, May 23, 1996.
           Notes & Comments Editor, Maryland Law Review

Hobart College, Geneva, New York
           Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, June 1992 
           Druid Society - one of five seniors honored as "most outstanding on campus" for leadership, quality of character and service to the college 
           Deans List (1991-1992)
           Hobart Scholar

Affiliations

Member, Board of Directors, Maryland Law School Alumni Association (2006 to present)

Member, American Association of Subcontractors, (2003 to present)

Cases

Outlaw v. AirTech Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. et al (D.C. Cir. June 24, 2005) (Construction law)