About Matthew G.
Matthew G. Holt is an immigration lawyer practicing in California who built his early training around immigration law and courtroom exposure. He studied immigration as part of his legal education and spent time inside an immigration court early in his career. His path shows a steady move from internships and clerkships into private practice and community roles.
Holt earned his J.D. from California Western School of Law in 2004, where his studies included immigration law and NAFTA-related topics. Before law school he completed a B.A. at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998, majoring in public policy and studying Portuguese. The combination of public policy and language study informed his later work with immigrant communities and his professional focus.
Early in his legal career Holt held several formative positions. In 2005 he worked as a legal intern at Access, Inc., and in 2006 he served as a law clerk at Guerrero Jacobs & Schlesinger, LLP. In 2007 he took a full-time judicial intern position at the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the immigration court in Salt Lake City, Utah. That same year he also served as an associate lawyer at the Law Offices of Leah W. Hurwitz, A P.L.C., gaining practical experience in client representation and procedural work.
Holt’s career has run in parallel with active involvement in professional organizations. He has been part of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s San Diego Chapter in several capacities: co-chair of the Media & Advocacy Committee beginning in 2008, chair of the New Lawyers Division starting in 2009, and treasurer on the executive committee from 2010 onward. He also participates in the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium on the education committee and volunteers as a pro bono lawyer and mentor with the American Bar Association’s Immigration Justice Project. In 2010 he spoke at regional meetings, including the AILA California Chapters Conference in Monterey and a San Diego Bar Association CLE luncheon on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.
Those roles reflect a practice shaped by courtroom work, organizational leadership, and public outreach. Holt is licensed to practice in California and has concentrated his work on immigration matters, including representation before immigration courts and work on related administrative proceedings. He practices immigration law in California, representing clients in matters before immigration courts and federal agencies.
