About Matthew S.
Matthew S. Hatfield earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Tulane University in 1997 and a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2001. Those years laid a clear academic foundation. He moved into the Kentucky legal community soon after, building experience in both the courts and private practice.
In 2004 Hatfield served as a staff lawyer and clerk for the Kentucky Court of Appeals. That role placed him inside the appellate system and gave him sustained exposure to written opinion work and procedural practice. He left the court environment to open a solo practice in 2006, operating under the name Matthew S. Hatfield, Lawyer At Law. The transition from clerk to sole practitioner marked an early shift toward client representation.
By 2008 Hatfield was associated with Hatfield Law Office, PLLC. The next year he took a position as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Lawyer in the Commonwealth Lawyer’s Office for Kentucky’s 42nd Judicial Circuit. That post involved work on behalf of the Commonwealth and brought him back into public service, where he handled matters in the trial courts of the circuit. He also maintained ties to private practice during this period.
Hatfield’s professional affiliations reflect long-standing ties to Kentucky’s legal community. He is a current member of the Kentucky Bar Association and the Calloway County Bar Association. From 2009 through 2018 he belonged to the Kentucky Justice Association. These memberships have kept him connected to statewide legal developments and local bar activity.
Colleagues and court observers note a practitioner who has moved between public office and private practice without losing sight of the practicalities of courtroom work. His time as a court clerk and then as a prosecutor gave him perspectives on both written appellate advocacy and the demands of trial practice. He has also run a solo practice, which required handling a range of client matters and office responsibilities.
Today Hatfield continues to practice law in Kentucky through Hatfield Law Office, PLLC. He divides his time between courtroom work and managing a small firm, handling cases that arise in the state courts of Kentucky.
