Matthew D.
Donovan
Commercial Litigation
Partner
New York City
T: 646-237-1803
mdonovan@farrellfritz.com mdonovan@farrellfritz.com
About Matthew
Matthew D. Donovan is a business and commercial litigator who assists clients in the resolution of complex business disputes in a variety of contexts, including the ownership and management of closely-held and family-owned businesses, commercial real estate, insurance coverage, and healthcare. Matt handles cases through all phases of litigation and arbitration, including corporate books-and-records, dissolution, and appraisal proceedings, as well as shareholder derivative actions. Matt is the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Commercial Litigation department, a member of the Business Divorce practice group, and the author of a number of articles on the subject. He also is a regular contributor to Farrell Fritz’s New York Commercial Division Practice blog, where he litigates the majority of his cases. Matt works closely with forensic accountants, business and real-estate appraisers, and other financial and business professionals to ensure that his clients’ interests are protected. After graduating from law school, Matt served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Gordon Shumaker, Terri Stoneburner, and Bruce D. Willis of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Credentials
Education
- Boston College (MA)
- Marquette University (BA)
- University of St. Thomas School of Law (JD)
Bar Admissions
- New York
- Connecticut
Court Admissions
- U.S.D.C., Eastern District of New York
- U.S.D.C., Northern District of New York
- U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York
- U.S.D.C., District of Connecticut
- U.S. Supreme Court
Affiliations & Appointments
- New York State Bar Association, Member, Committee on the Commercial Division, Commercial & Federal Litigation Section
- Westchester County Bar Association, Member, Board of Directors
- Westchester County Bar Association, Former Chair, Business & Commercial Law Committee
- Association for Family-Held Enterprises, Member
Articles & Advisories
Business Divorce Cases of 2023
A trio of significant rulings by the Appellate Division dominated the business divorce caselaw arena in 2023. Peter A. Mahler…
February 27, 2024
Business Divorce and Judicial Dissolution Cases of 2022
Last year the Commercial Division rejected the New York Attorney General’s bid to dissolve the National Rifle Association based on…
March 07, 2023
Business Divorce Cases of 2021
Selecting the most noteworthy decisions from a year’s worth of business divorce cases normally is a daunting challenge given the…
February 25, 2022
Business Divorce Cases of 2020
The pace of business divorce litigation has proven impervious to economic busts and booms, and now pandemics as well. The…
March 03, 2021
Business Divorce Cases of 2019
Last year’s most noteworthy business divorce cases are marked by a diversity of subject matter, spanning a gamut of disputes…
March 09, 2020
Know the Law, Know the Rules, Know Your Judge
Matthew Donovan and Viktoriya Liberchuk wrote an article for the August edition of WCBA Westchester Lawyer. Below are a few…
September 10, 2019
Business Divorce Cases of 2018
In recent years, most of the new and noteworthy case law developments in the business divorce field predictably have involved…
February 26, 2019
Be Prepared to Upgrade to Commercial Division 2.0—at Least in Westchester County
The Commercial Division is world-renowned for its efficiency and innovativeness when it comes to proposing and adopting new and amended…
August 20, 2018
Business Divorce Cases of 2017 Focus On Oppression, Valuation and LLC Issues
New York courts last year decided an impressive array of business divorce cases involving closely held corporations, partnerships, and limited…
February 16, 2018
Court Address Key Issues In Business Divorce Cases of 2016
Last year New York courts decided a number of important cases involving business divorce and related litigation between co-owners of…
February 15, 2017
LLCs Dominate Business Divorce Cases of 2015
It’s been over 20 years since legislatures in New York and across the nation gave birth to the limited liability…
February 01, 2016
The Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Makes Stop in Jamaica to Discuss Impact of New Commercial Division Impact of New Commercial Division Rules on Queens County Bar
The Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association continued its workshop tour concerning the new…
December 18, 2015
Complex Questions Addressed In Business Divorce Cases of 2014
Reprinted with permission from New York Law Journal, Volume 253-No. 35, February 24, 2015 issue. In the annals of…
February 25, 2015
The Westchester County Commercial Division, Common-Law Dissolution, and the Resolution of Family-Owned Business Disputes
June 13, 2014
News
Understanding the Specifics of a Business Divorce
Breaking up is hard to do, so Uniondale-based law firm Farrell Fritz has set up a practice group to make…
June 30, 2016
Farrell Fritz Counsels Disputing Partners with Business Divorce Practice Group
The attached advertorial, published in the May 27, 2016 issue of Long Island Business News, discusses the launch of Farrell Fritz’s…
June 02, 2016
Press Releases
23 Farrell Fritz Attorneys Recognized as 2023 Leading Lawyers in Their Respective Areas of Practice
Farrell Fritz has a combined total of 23 attorneys selected to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers and New…
September 26, 2023
22 Farrell Fritz Attorneys Recognized as 2022 Leading Lawyers in Their Respective Areas of Practice
Farrell Fritz has a combined total of 22 attorneys selected to the 2022 New York Metro Super Lawyers and New…
September 29, 2022
Farrell Fritz Promotes Matthew D. Donovan and Frank T. Santoro to Partner
Farrell Fritz is pleased to announce the promotions of Matthew D. Donovan and Frank T. Santoro to partner effective January…
January 02, 2018
30 Farrell Fritz Attorneys Recognized as 2016 Leading Lawyers in their Respective Areas of Practice
Farrell Fritz had a combined total of 30 attorneys selected to the 2016 New York Metro Super Lawyers and New…
September 21, 2016
Farrell Fritz Launches Business Divorce Practice Group
Farrell Fritz is pleased to announce the launch of the firm’s Business Divorce practice group. Led by Peter A. Mahler,…
June 06, 2016
30 Farrell Fritz Attorneys Recognized as 2015 Leading Lawyers in their Respective Areas of Practice
Farrell Fritz had a combined total of 30 attorneys selected to the 2015 New York Super Lawyers and New York…
September 16, 2015
30 Farrell Fritz Attorneys Recognized as 2014 Leading Lawyers in their Respective Areas of Practice
Farrell Fritz had a combined total of 30 attorneys named to the 2014 New York Super Lawyers and New York…
September 23, 2014
Farrell Fritz Promotes Four Attorneys
Farrell Fritz is pleased to announce the promotions of Joseph T. La Ferlita to partner and Matthew D. Donovan, Heather…
January 02, 2014
Farrell Fritz Launches Commercial Litigation Blog
Farrell Fritz, P.C. recently launched its third blog, New York Commercial Division Case Compendium (www.nycommdivcompendium.com). Weekly blog posts briefly summarize…
November 12, 2010
Recognition
AV Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell
Peer Review Rating
Super Lawyers
New York Metro Rising Stars (Business Litigation) 2014-2016
Super Lawyers
New York Metro (Business Litigation) 2022
Community Work
Matt serves on the benefit committee of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, the annual giving committee for the University of St. Thomas School of Law alumni advisory board, and is a member of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of New York.