Education & Background

Education

Wartburg College (B.A., Psychology, summa cum laude, 2008)

Drake University Law School (J.D., with highest honors, 2011)

  • Member, Drake Law Review, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011
  • Order of the Coif
 

Practice Areas

  • Litigation & Trial Law
  • Insurance Law and Litigation
  • Workers' Compensation
  • Insurance Defense

Overview

Matt works in Dickinson Bradshaw's litigation division including the workers' compensation practice area. Matt joined the firm in 2011 after working as a law clerk. While attending law school, Matt also worked as a law clerk at a small plaintiffs' firm in Des Moines and worked as an intern at the Iowa Workers' Compensation Commission.

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers

  • Selected for inclusion in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of:
    • Litigation - Insurance
    • Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
  • Selected for inclusion in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the area of:
     
    • Insurance Law

Memberships & Activities

State Bar Admissions

Iowa, 2011

Professional Membership & Admissions

American Bar Association
Iowa Association of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, Inc.
Iowa State Bar Association
Polk County Bar Association

Articles, Presentations, and Publications

Selected lectures:

  • Personal Professional Liability for Workplace Incidents, Iowa-Illinois Safety Council’s 61st Annual Professional Development Conference, April 2014
  • Current Status of Penalty Law – Where Are We Now?, Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Thirty-Fifth Annual Seminar, October 2013

Presentations

  • Co-Presenter, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Workers' Comp Issues & FAQ," Dickinson Bradshaw Employment Law Seminar, Altoona, Iowa, May 14, 2026
  • Co-Presenter, "Case Study: Managing Disabled Workers with Brains, Heart, & Courage," Dickinson Bradshaw Employment Law Seminar, Altoona, Iowa, June 12, 2025
  • Co-Presenter, "NLRB Insights Panel: Policies Made Harder; Organizing Made Easier," Dickinson Bradshaw Employment Law Seminar, West Des Moines, Iowa, May 23, 2024

 

Support Team

JENNIFER GIBSON (LEGAL ASSISTANT)
jgibson@dickinsonbradshaw.com

515.246.5852

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-phillips-56a06892/