About Matthew
Matthew Crist attended the University of Florida for both undergraduate and law school, earning a B.A. in 2000 and a J.D. from the Levin College of Law in 2006. He completed his formal education in Gainesville and moved into the practice of law in Florida shortly thereafter. The academic path set him up for work in litigation and courtroom practice.
His early career included a stint as a litigation associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP in 2007. That role placed him at a large national firm handling complex matters and gave him experience on multi-party disputes and motion practice. In 2008 he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Marcia Morales Howard of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The clerkship offered direct exposure to federal procedure and judicial decision-making.
After the clerkship he returned to private practice. By 2011 he was working as an attorney at Clark Martino, where he continued to handle litigation matters in state and federal courts. In 2017 he became a shareholder at Crist Legal | PA, marking a transition into firm leadership. That move reflects a career that spans large firm practice, a federal clerkship, and leadership in a smaller firm setting.
Crist is active in the legal community. He holds memberships in the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, the Florida Justice Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Hillsborough County Bar Association. He has served as chair of the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, a role that involves organizing local programming and engaging with other practitioners about running small practices.
Colleagues describe him as steady in court and deliberate in case preparation. He brings federal court experience from his clerkship and several years of litigation work at a national firm to matters in Florida courts. He has moved between different practice environments and now applies that range of experience to managing cases and mentoring younger lawyers at his firm.
Matthew Crist practices from Crist Legal | PA in Florida. He maintains ties to bar groups in the Tampa Bay area and continues to try cases and handle litigation matters in state and federal venues. His current practice concentrates on litigation and trial work in Florida courts.
