Matthew McGowan is a senior associate at Padfield & Stout, LLP, where his practice focuses on, among other things, complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, business divorces, bankruptcy litigation, and real property disputes. Matthew has a decade of experience handling large, complicated, bet-the-farm lawsuits for both plaintiffs and defendants. An award-winning legal writer, Matthew’s specialty is preparing all manner of long-form legal pleadings, motions, and briefs. Matthew also has extensive experience in civil appeals and has worked as lead counsel on innumerable high-dollar appellate cases at all levels of state and federal appellate courts.
Prior to joining Padfield & Stout in December 2025, Matthew was a senior associate at at boutique Dallas litigation firm, where he focused on all manners of complex commercial litigation. Prior to that, Matthew was head of the appellate section at a prominent San Antonio law firm that focused on oil and gas, a practice area in which Matthew is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Earlier in his career, Matthew worked at a commercial litigation law firm in San Antonio, where he focused primarily on civil appeals and bankruptcy litigation.
Matthew graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University School of Law in 2015. While at A&M Law, Matthew published two articles in academic legal journals, won or placed second in national legal writing competitions, was the recipient of the President’s Scholarship (for his high class ranking), and upon graduation was among a small handful of faculty-selected students admitted to the National Order of Scribes (based on “outstanding legal writing while in law school”). During his final year at A&M Law, Matthew was an Articles Editor at Texas A&M Law Review, the school’s flagship legal journal.
Juris Doctorate Cum Laude, Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth, Texas, May 2015
B.A. Journalism (Minor in Classics), Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, December 2008
Locomotives v. Local Motives: The Coming Conflict, Statutory Void & Legal Uncertainties Riding with Reactivated Rails-to-Trails, 16 Vt. J. Envtl. L. 482 (2015)
Location, Location, Mis-Location: How Local Land Use Restrictions Are Dulling Halfway Housing’s Criminal Rehabilitation Potential, 48 Urb. Law. 329 (2016)
Co-author, Antitrust and Consumer Protection, SMU Annual Texas Survey (2017–2019)
Co-author, Recovering Appellate Attorney’s Fees in State and Federal Court, 31st Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals (2021)
Location, Location, Mis-Location: How Local Land Use Restrictions Are Dulling Halfway Housing’s Criminal Rehabilitation Potential, 48 Urb. Law. 329 (2016)
Co-author, Antitrust and Consumer Protection, SMU Annual Texas Survey (2017–2019)
Co-author, Recovering Appellate Attorney’s Fees in State and Federal Court, 31st Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals (2021)
