Brendan P. Matthews

Brendan P. Matthews is the team lead at Wisconsin First Responder Lawyers, a division of MacGillis Law Group, LLC, where he defends the legal rights of first responder unions and their members. Brendan earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, following a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Vermont, where he was a member of the varsity men’s tennis team and earned academic honors.

Before joining MacGillis Law Group and Wisconsin First Responder Lawyers, Brendan gained experience through internships with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (“WERC”), the Sheboygan County District Attorney’s Office, and a role at Gingras, Cates & Luebke, S.C. (now Gingras Thomsen & Wachs LLP). He began his career at Cermele & Matthews, S.C., where he worked from 2009 until its merger with MacGillis Wiemer, LLC in 2023.

Brendan has represented hundreds of first responders across Wisconsin, including cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and various police and fire commissions. He is licensed to practice in all Wisconsin county circuit courts, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

His work has received national recognition, with features on CNN, Forbes, the New York Times, the Today Show, and ESPN. Brendan has achieved numerous victories for his clients, including reversing high-profile terminations, and has authored legislative bills advancing rights and protections for first responders.

Brendan is passionate about representing first responders, focusing on criminal investigations (including officer-involved shootings), disciplinary appeals, contractual grievances, worker’s compensation appeals, and civil litigation. A union president described him as “approachable, quick to respond, professional, and, most importantly, gets stuff done.”

Originally from Colorado, Brendan now considers Wisconsin home. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Julia, and their two sons, Andrew and Jake, playing pickleball, attending sports events, and honing his skills as an aspiring chef and pitmaster.