Lawyers & Staff

Christopher M. Mattei

  • Attorney

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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Profile

Chris Mattei is widely regarded as a highly effective courtroom advocate, and has been called upon to handle some of the highest profile trials in the State of Connecticut over the past decade. His areas of focus include civil rights, products liability, catastrophic personal injury and complex civil litigation. Described by one New York Times reporter as an “incredible powerhouse lawyer,” Chris’s practice is devoted to protecting individuals and the public from corporate and institutional abuse.

Chris currently serves as lead counsel on behalf Sandy Hook families and first responders against right wing conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, and the corporate entities involved in promoting the lie that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax.

In 2019, Chris organized and coordinated the defense of 11 protesters in the City of Bridgeport, who were arrested during a memorial demonstration. Chris recruited 11 attorneys to represent the protesters pro bono, and secured dismissals for every defendant.

Prior to joining Koskoff in 2015, Chris served as Chief of the Financial Fraud & Public Corruption unit with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. Chris also directed the Connecticut Public Corruption Task Force, a multi-agency investigative unit tasked with combating corruption at all levels of government, which grew out of several of Chris’s high-profile corruption prosecutions.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, Chris oversaw and served as trial counsel in the prosecution of former Governor John G. Rowland and others on campaign finance and obstruction of justice charges. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Chris supervised ground-breaking investigations and prosecutions of pervasive fraud in the residential mortgage backed securities (“RMBS”) market, including assets that were supported by the federal government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Following law school, Chris served as law clerk to United States District Judge Alvin W. Thompson.

Background

Bar Admissions

  • Connecticut, 2005
  • U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 2006
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 2006

Education

  • University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, Connecticut
    • J.D., With Honors
  • Georgetown University
    • B.A., magna cum laude

Leadership

Honors and Awards

  • Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2023
  • CTLA Riscassi-Koskoff Civil Justice Award
  • United States Department of Justice, Superior Performance in Litigation, 2016
  • Town of Windsor Connecticut, Bridge Builder Award

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors
  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Member
  • American Association for Justice, Member
  • American Association for Justice, Public Affairs Committee, Member
  • American Association for Justice, Elections Committee, Member
  • Hartford County Bar Association, Member
  • Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, Member
  • The Connecticut Bar Foundation, James W. Cooper Fellow

Pro Bono Activities

  • University of Connecticut School of Law, Civil Rights and Elections Lecturer
  • Connecticut Legal Services, Board Member (former)
  • Windsor Food & Fuel Bank, Board Member (former)
  • Youth Baseball Coach