Matthew W. Dietz has been practicing in the arena of civil rights litigation since 1996 and litigated over 250 cases in trial and appellate courts involving Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws regarding the rights of Persons with Disabilities, and others seeking equal rights under the law on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, familial status, and sexual orientation and gender identity.
Mr. Dietz attended Boston University where he earned his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in 1992. In 1996, he earned his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from Brooklyn Law School. He is admitted to all Florida State and Federal Courts, and New York State Courts.
Mr. Dietz has been a very active writer, advocate and speaker on disability rights issues. He founded Disability Independence Group, a non-profit corporation, which strives to encourage more persons with disabilities to have equal opportunities in the workforce. Disability Independence Group conducted the first focus group of lawyers with disabilities to identify barriers throughout the legal profession in Florida as well a conducting a survey of needs all Florida lawyers with disabilities.
In addition to representing and working with several local and national fair housing organizations and disability organizations, Mr. Dietz is a member of the advisory Board of Directors of the Burton Blatt Institute, located at Syracuse University, which is the premier organization to advance civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities.
He was past chair of the Equal Opportunities in the Law Section of the Florida Bar, past chair of the Civil Rights Section of the American Association for Justice, past-chair of the Public Interest Law Section of the Florida Bar, and the past-chair of the Disability Committee within that section. In his work within the Florida Bar, Mr. Dietz drafted proposed Rule of Administrative Procedure 2.540, which provided guidelines for providing accommodations for Persons with Disabilities in Florida Courts. Mr. Dietz was also appointed to the Florida Supreme Court standing committee on Fairness and Diversity and the accessibility workgroup of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal, and Florida 11th Circuit Court in and for Miami Dade County. In 2004, he was awarded the G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award for his work on behalf of persons with disabilities.
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, 1992
COURT ADMISSIONS
All Florida State Courts, 1996
All New York State Courts, 1999
U.S. District Court, Florida Southern District, 1997
U.S. District Court, Florida Middle District, 2000
U.S. District Court, Florida Northern District, 2009
U.S. Circuit Court, Eleventh Circuit, 1999
LEGAL ARTICLES AUTHORED
Matthew Dietz, Reasonable Accommodations for Attorneys with Disabilities, Florida Bar Journal, April 2007
Matthew Dietz, The ADA’s Requirements for Sign Language Interpreter Services, Civil Rights Section Newsletter, (Summer 2005)
Matthew Dietz, Fair Housing: Know Your Rights, MS Focus, p. 4, Vol. 6, Issue 4, Fall 2004
Matthew Dietz, Racial Profiling at the Mall or the Local Diner, Civil Rights Section Newsletter, p.1 (Winter 2003)
Matthew W. Dietz and Paul Rein, ADA Enforcement by Individuals, ATLA 2003 Annual Convention, July 19-23, 2003, Reference Materials, p. 335
The Application of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to Personal Injury Claims, Civil Rights Section Newsletter, p.1 (Spring 2003)
Matthew W. Dietz and Bill Hoppe, From dispensing drugs to indispensable advice: The expanding duty and liability of pharmacists, (Spring 1998)
Comment, Equal Electoral Opportunity: The Supreme Court Reevaluates the Use of Race in Redistricting in Johnson v. De Grandy, Journal of Law and Policy, 497 (1995)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
June 26, 2009, Speaker for Diversity Matters: Building the Case for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
September 15, 2009, Speaker for Fair Housing Act: Updates and Case Studies,Teleconference
April 17, 2009, Keynote Speaker for 2009 Fair Housing Month Luncheon, Miami, Florida
May 18, 2009, Speaker for Providing Persons with Disabilities and Elderly with Equal Access to Justice, Stetson University
August 28, 2009, Speaker for A + Seminar: Accommodations, Access and Affirmative Action, Hollywood, Florida
October 17, 2008, Speaker for Thirty Years of Gay and Lesbians in the Legal Profession, Miami, Florida
September 11, 2008, Speaker for General Meeting of Committees and Sections, The Florida Bar, Miami, Florida
August 22, 2008, Speaker for The Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
June 27, 2008, Speaker for Florida Board of Examiner’s Meeting, Ponte Vedra, Florida
April 17, 2008, Keynote speaker for 40 Years of Fair Housing, Where do we go from here?, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
March 1, 2008, Speaker and moderator, Law Students with Disabilities Workshop, Disability Independence Group, Florida International University
January 27, 2008, Moderator for Advocacy Track CLE on Focus Groups and Voir Dire, American Association for Justice 2008 Spring Convention, San Juan
April 12-13, 2007, Moderator – Overcoming Obstacles: Lawyers with Disabilities, 2007 Florida Bar Diversity Symposium, Florida International University
July 15, 2006, Moderator for Civil Rights CLE Program at the American Trial Lawyers Association at the 2006 Annual Convention
April 14, 2006, Speaker – 2006 Fair Housing Month Symposium, Broward County Office of Equal Opportunity, “The Face of Fair Housing”, Familial status discrimination.
June 24, 2006, Speaker – Removing Barriers to the Legal Profession for Lawyers with Disabilities, Florida Bar Annual Convention 2006.
May 6, 2005, Speaker - Living Will Workshop – Center for Independent Living of South Florida
April 7, 2005, Speaker - Building a Disability Movement, Disability Affairs Cabinet, University of Florida
February 5, 2005, Speaker - Disability Rights - Alliance for Families with Deaf Children, Signing Stories @ Your Library
January 21, 2005, Speaker – Creating Opportunities – Diversity Initiatives-Establishing Priorities, Minority Bar Summit
October 20, 2004, Participant in Disability Mentoring Day, Miami, Florida
August 6, 2004,Disability Rights, Jackson Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation
April 16, 2004, Florida Bar Diversity Symposium, speaker on Disability Issues
March 2004, Speaker - “Know Your Rights”, Miami-Dade County Law Library and Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
January 16, 2004, Organizer and Moderator - Children Are in Need – Every Lawyer Can Help: What You Can Do and How to Do It - Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee and Public Interest Law Section Seminar
January 8, 2004 - In-Service Presentation, Comprehensive Rehabilitation Consultants
July 23, 2003 – Speaker - ADA Enforcement by Individuals, Association of Trial Lawyers of America 2003 Annual Convention
April 11, 2003 – Speaker - ADA Compliance – Center for Independent Living of South Florida
March 24, 2004 – Speaker - ADA Compliance – Ponce Development Council
February 3, 2003 – Speaker The Application of Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to Personal Injury Claims – Winter Convention - Association of Trial Lawyers of America
November 25, 2002 – Speaker - Americans with Disabilities Act and Employment – Dystonia Symposium
April 12, 2002 – Speaker and Moderator - Issues in Disability Law – Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee and Public Interest Law Section Seminar
