Overview
Matt Cross is a partner in our Traverse City office where he focuses his practice in the areas of insurance defense litigation, law enforcement defense and litigation, and municipal law. Matt has experience handling employment law, personal injury defense, marijuana licensing litigation, and other municipal issues and has earned dismissals in each of these areas.
Previously, Matt worked as a judicial research attorney for Judge John Murphy in the Wayne County Circuit Court and as an associate attorney at two prominent firms. Matt previously served as Assistant City Attorney for Petoskey and Boyne City. Matt currently represents several municipalities and a public health organization. In his free time, Matt serves as an on-call firefighter for the Resort Bear Creek Fire Department.
Education
Wayne State University, J.D., 2013
Ferris State University, B.S., magna cum laude, 2008
Honors
Michigan Rising Star Top Rated Civil Litigation Attorney, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2018-2024 
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2022-2023
Up & Coming Lawyers, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2023
Merit scholarship recipient (Wayne State University Law School)
Two-Year Varsity Athletic Award for baseball at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Honorable Mention All-State, National Junior College Athletic Association
Academic All-Conference and All-State (2004-2005), National Junior College Athletic Association
Memberships and Associations
State Bar of Michigan
– Litigation Section
– Prison & Corrections Section
– Young Lawyers Section
Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter
Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association
Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (MDTC), Regional Chairperson
Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys (MAMA)
Insurance Alliance of Michigan (IAM)
Grand Rapids Adjusters Association (GRAA)
Central Michigan Adjusters Association (CMAA)
Saginaw Valley Adjusters Association (SVAA)
Presentations & Articles
Corrections Legal Update, Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA) Training Session, January 15-16, 2019
Calculating the Statute of Limitations in FMLA Cases: Discrete Acts or Continuing Violations? State Bar of Michigan Litigation Journal, January 2018
The Search for Consistency in the Interpretation of Plea Agreements and Appeal Waivers in the Face of Breach, 15 J.L. Soc’y 119 (2013-2014)
Popular Music for Political Activities – Who Holds the Rights?
Jurisdiction and Court Admissions
Michigan State Courts
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
Education
Wayne State University, J.D., 2013
Ferris State University, B.S., magna cum laude, 2008
Honors
Michigan Rising Star Top Rated Civil Litigation Attorney, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2018-2024
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2022-2023
Up & Coming Lawyers, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2023
Merit scholarship recipient (Wayne State University Law School)
Two-Year Varsity Athletic Award for baseball at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Honorable Mention All-State, National Junior College Athletic Association
Academic All-Conference and All-State (2004-2005), National Junior College Athletic Association