Matthew J. Connolly

Matt is also deeply familiar with state government, having previously served as agency General Counsel in the Administration of Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito. This work also included overseeing litigation involving the secretariat and its departments and coordinating with other state agencies on cross-secretariat matters. In 2021, Matt received the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Team Award for Excellence in Public Service in recognition of a multi-agency team’s outstanding contributions. Matt has also served as the interim chief legal counsel and senior policy advisor at the Office of the State Senate Minority Leader in Boston.

Notable Experience and Recent Matters

• A Fortune 500 company in a multi-jurisdictional commercial dispute involving a joint venture
• A multi-billion dollar company in a federal jury trial regarding an overtime compensation dispute under the Fair Labor Standards Act
• Achieved a successful seven-figure verdict in a breach of contract dispute and fraud allegations involving the sale of a national company based in New Hampshire
• A leading U.S.-based downstream energy company specializing in petroleum refining, marketing, and distribution to navigate an evolving and complex environmental regulatory landscape. He also provides oversight for ongoing changes and issuance of climate related legislation and renewable fuels regulations and the associated impact on the petroleum industry.
• Energy traders and companies in several enforcement and compliance matters before FERC
• A Fortune 500 energy company in high-stakes Clean Water Act citizen suits currently pending in federal court.
• Several battery storage companies seeking regulatory approval for Massachusetts-based projects.
• Municipalities and quasi-government entities in appeals of their state and federal water discharge permits
• A Massachusetts community in defending a citizens’ suit brought by an environmental group alleging violations of the state Clean Waters Act
• Several companies and financial institutions in non-public and internal investigations involving complex regulatory and reporting procedures

Matt continues his leadership outside of the firm as a member of the Massachusetts Coalition for Water Resources Stewardship (MCWRS) and the Boston Bar Association (BBA). He was selected to participate in the ULI Boston/New England’s Center for Leadership Class of 2026. This program brings together professionals in real estate and land use to enhance their leadership skills and industry knowledge. Matt is a member of the 2016-17 class of the BBA’s Public Interest Leadership Program, which promotes civic engagement and public service by advancing the leadership role of lawyers in service to their communities. Matt is also the BBA Real Estate Section Co-Chair and a guest lecturer on Environmental Law at the MIT Center for Real Estate.

Prior to joining Nutter and his service in the Baker/Polito Administration, Matt spent several years as a litigator and energy attorney in the Washington, DC office of an international law firm. During law school, Matt served as a senior articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review and president of the Student Funded Public Interest Fellowships Program.

Matt enjoys participating in Massachusetts politics. He regularly advises candidates on political and legal issues for federal, state, and local campaigns.