Matthew Besser - Headshot

Title/Position

General Counsel

Department

Board of Directors

Board member from Cleveland, Ohio.

Matt Besser is a champion for the rights of people in employment, constitutional, and civil rights cases. With experience as a litigator, law professor, arbitrator, and appellate lawyer, Matt is devoted to justice for all.
 
A host of organizations have recognized Matt for his skill and integrity as an advocate for the public good. He holds the esteemed “AV Preeminent”® rating from attorney-rating service Martindale-Hubbell. Both U.S. News' Best Lawyers Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine have repeatedly named him to their lists of the finest employment lawyers representing individuals in Cleveland. And in 2020, the Ohio State Bar Association awarded him with its Best Ohio Supreme Court Brief Award.
 
Matt is an avid volunteer in the legal community. In addition to his volunteer work for the ACLU, he serves on the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He is the past Chair of the CMBA’s Certified Grievance Committee, which investigates and prosecutes ethical misconduct by attorneys. Matt is also a member of the CMBA Judicial Selection Committee, which evaluates judicial candidates and educates the public about their qualifications.
 
Matt graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he received awards for the top grade in Trial Advocacy, Civil Litigation, Disability Discrimination, and Evidence. After law school, he served as a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Matt lives in the Cleveland suburbs with his wife (also a civil rights attorney) and their two sons.