As Allensworth’s senior attorney, Matt Ryan’s work centers on management of our construction law firm, industry outreach, and above all, providing guidance to clients from a high-level, strategic perspective. But if you ask him what he does, his response is simply “I help people solve their problems.” Relationships are the driving force in how he practices law, and this is the reason his clients trust him to handle their most sensitive issues.
An experienced Austin construction lawyer, Matt’s clients run the industry gamut in Texas, with a particular focus on architects, engineers, and landscape architects. They are in the business of designing and building things, and while disputes are an unavoidable part of doing business in the construction industry, any such issues are unwanted distractions from their true purpose. As a trusted advisor, Matt’s role is to ease the client’s burden by putting dispute entanglement into perspective, allowing them to get back to their work with a clearer understanding of the path forward—secure in the knowledge that their advocates have the case well in hand.
More concretely, Matt helps manage risk and resolve disputes as quickly and reasonably as possible, while recognizing that a jury verdict or arbitration award may be the only path to resolution. Whether handling a professional licensing issue, a claim for defective design or construction, or a client’s affirmative claims for relief, Matt starts his work with a candid discussion of the client’s objectives in each case, listening intently and asking questions to fully understand the scope of the issue and the client’s priorities. From there, he works to demystify the dispute resolution process—including mediation, litigation, and arbitration—and assemble the teams required to deliver the strategy, clarity, and service clients need, all while establishing reasonable expectations and always working to exceed them.
In addition to his client advocacy role, Matt also serves on the American Arbitration Association’s panel of construction arbitrators. As a decider of disputes, Matt has a deep understanding of construction law and the complex dynamics of multiparty construction claims—earned by a career spent serving clients across the industry. This diversity of work helps him see construction relationships clearly and appreciate the underlying forces driving any given dispute.
An incurable extrovert who will never turn down a conversation, Matt is also the firm’s partner in charge of industry outreach—and his own service record demonstrates his longstanding commitment to the field. A former Chair of the Austin and State Bar of Texas Construction Law Sections, Matt has served as an Adjunct Professor of Construction Law and Construction Litigation at the University of Texas School of Law since 2006, and he is a Steering Committee Member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law (Division 3 – Design). Above all, he is particularly proud of his honorary membership in AIA Austin, where he served on the Board of Directors for eleven consecutive years, making many friends along the way.
In his spare time, Matt is a film buff who estimates that he sees fifty movies a year. He is also an avid traveler who has visited over twenty-five countries, and he plans to visit at least twenty-five more.
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