About Matthew W.
Matthew W. Sims built a legal path that moves from public administration to courtroom work. He earned a B.S. in Public Administration from Missouri State University and went on to receive his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law. Those years at William Mitchell included work as a research assistant and hands-on clinical experience that would shape his early practice.
He served in the United States Air Force and held the rank of Staff Sergeant in 1992. After law school he entered several clerk and student lawyer roles that placed him inside public defense and private firms. In 2007 he worked as a law clerk at Dano, Gilbert & Ahrend, PLLC and served as a certified student lawyer in the Misdemeanor Clinic through Hughes & Costello. That same year he also worked as a certified student lawyer and law clerk at the Washington County Public Defender's Office.
By 2006 and 2007 his law school résumé also included a position as a research assistant at William Mitchell College of Law. Those experiences prepared him for private practice and courtroom work. He began a formal private practice role as partner at The Sims Law Office, LLC in 2008. The next year he joined Wallace, Saunders, Austin, Brown & Enochs, Chartered as a lawyer. In 2013 he returned to The Sims Law Office, LLC as a partner, a role he occupies today.
He is admitted to practice in Missouri and before the Eighth Circuit. Professionally he has participated in local and regional bar and civic organizations. Since 2008 he has been a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and has served as a panel lawyer for Legal Services of Southwest Missouri. He has also been active with Springfield Rotary, where he has served on the executive committee for the Rock n Ribs BBQ Festival since 2007.
Sims's career mixes public-interest work and private litigation. Early clinical and public defender work gave him courtroom exposure. His years in private firms added civil litigation and client counseling to that foundation. He has balanced appellate admissions with trial practice, moving between firm roles and leadership at his own office.
Today he practices as a partner at The Sims Law Office, LLC. His practice covers state and federal litigation in Missouri and appeals before the Eighth Circuit.
