About Matthew Brandon
Matthew Brandon Trail is an attorney with roots in Tennessee and a legal education from the University of Tennessee. He earned a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2001 after completing a B.S. in Communication Journalism at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1995. Those years in Knoxville shaped both his approach to advocacy and his interest in public service.
He began his post-law school career in the courts. In 2006 he served as a judicial clerk for the Rutherford County Circuit Court, where he handled research and drafting for trial-level matters. The following year he joined the Florida Equal Justice Center as a staff attorney. At the Equal Justice Center he worked on civil legal matters for clients who lacked representation, gaining hands-on experience in courtroom procedure and client intake.
Trail holds licenses to practice in Tennessee, Florida and Texas. That multi-jurisdictional standing has informed a practice that moves between state systems and the practical issues that arise when legal problems cross state lines. His early work in legal aid and court chambers gave him a solid grounding in civil procedure and the day-to-day realities of representing individuals and organizations in state courts.
Outside the office he has been active in nonprofit governance. Since 2009 he has served as Advisory Board Chair for Easter Seals Florida. In that role he has overseen advisory work aimed at improving services for people with disabilities and helping the organization align resources with community needs. The advisory position has been a long-running part of his professional life and reflects ongoing ties to service work in Florida.
Trail now practices at Trail & Sommer Legal Services P.A. The firm represents clients across more than one state and handles matters that bring him back to the procedural and advocacy skills he developed early in his career. He balances casework and advisory roles and draws on experience from both the courtroom and nonprofit boards.
He remains licensed in Tennessee, Florida and Texas and brings that multi-state perspective to his current caseload. His current practice focuses on providing legal services to clients in the states where he is admitted to practice.
