J. Matthew Plunkett was admitted to practice law in 1984. In addition to holding his J.D. degree and B.A. in Economics from the University at Buffalo, he holds an MBA from Syracuse University. Prior to attending law school he worked for an engineering firm in central New York and taught briefly at SUNY College at Buffalo. After law school he taught management and business law at Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y. After leaving Daemen College, he pursued private legal practice where he was involved in maritime law, real estate law and estate law.
In November, 1998 Matt joined the staff of state Senator Mary Lou Rath as her staff counsel. At that time Senator Rath chaired the Senate Committee on Local Government and Matt became counsel to that committee. In that role he reviewed legislation assigned to the committee as part of the decision to release legislation to the Senate calendar for action by the entire Senate. In addition, he worked on the Senator’s personal legislative agenda. This included the research, drafting and introduction of legislation as well as arranging for Assembly sponsorship of the Senator’s bills. He was also involved in follow-up negotiations for passage of legislation. Matt also handled constituent relations, particularly with respect to legislative issues.
From January 2002 until March 2009, Matt served as deputy town attorney for the Town of Amherst, N.Y. In this role he provided legal counsel to the town board and departments of the town across a wide range of legal issues. He also represented the town in litigation concerning land use matters, contractual disputes and personnel matters. He drafted a number of local laws for consideration by the town board. These laws spanned a wide range of legal issues, including term limits for elected officials, employee residency requirements an various land use regulations. Matt also serves as an adjunct instructor at the University at Buffalo, teaching in the area of families and the law.