Matthew Elias
Attorney
Prior to joining Enara Law, Matt worked as a prosecutor for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO). At MCAO, Matt worked in the Trial Division prosecuting a wide variety of felony cases, the Capital Litigation Bureau prosecuting homicide cases, and the Repeat Offenders Bureau prosecuting cases involving armed robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, weapons offenses, drugs, forgery, and fraud schemes. Matt also has prior experience as a prosecutor in the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the La Paz County Attorney’s Office.
Matt has handled thousands of cases and conducted forty-five jury trials. In the course of his practice, he regularly appears in court, takes depositions, litigates contested discovery disputes, negotiates in settlement conferences, and reviews business records. Also, he has extensive experience researching legal issues, drafting motions, and drafting other legal and business documents. Additionally, he has experience creating and leading trainings for attorneys, judges, law enforcement, and government agencies.
In March of 2021, Matt was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court Task Force on Jury Data Collection, Practices, and Procedures. In that role, he led the project to increase juror pay, and worked on proposals to increase juror participation and revise the jury selection process in Arizona in the wake of the elimination of peremptory challenges.
Matt received his law degree from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa in 2008. While in law school, he was a semi-finalist in the C. Edwin Moore Oral Argument Competition and a member of the Student Advancement and Alumni Outreach Committee. Matt received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona in 2004.
While not practicing law, Matt enjoys running, exercising, golf, cooking, traveling, and spending time with his wife, two kids, and Portuguese Water Dog. Matt is a club soccer coach for RSL-AZ and a volunteer softball coach for Arcadia Little League. He is also a huge sports fan and enjoys cheering on his favorite teams: the Arizona Wildcats, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Real Salt Lake, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City.
Education
• Drake University Law School, J.D., 2008 Semi-Finalist, C. Edwin Moore Oral Argument Competition (Fall 2005) Student Advancement and Alumni Outreach Committee• The University of Arizona, B.A., Political Science, 2004
Admissions
• Arizona• U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Associations
• State Bar of Arizona• Maricopa County Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court
• The Sports Lawyers Association