Overview

Matthew M. Lear is Senior Counsel in Lozano Smith's Fresno Office. Mr. Lear represents public agency clients in a variety of matters, including litigation and general counsel to local governments.

Experience

Mr. Lear serves as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Clovis and Deputy County Counsel for the County of Madera. Through his roles as counsel for local municipalities, Mr. Lear has extensive experience in code enforcement matters, both administratively and through criminal prosecution. He also specializes in litigation, writs of habeas corpus, conflict of interest issues, Public Records Act requests, drafting ordinances, and land use and CEQA issues. Mr. Lear has also successfully navigated local municipalities through the receivership process to abate substandard and dangerous properties within their communities.

Prior to joining Lozano Smith, Mr. Lear represented clients in a variety of criminal and civil litigation matters, including contract and real property disputes, quiet title actions, and fraud cases. He is experienced in drafting pleadings and various motions including, class action complaints, answers, motions for summary judgment and motions to compel discovery.

Education

Mr. Lear earned his J.D. degree from the San Joaquin College of Law. He received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Department of Justice Releases New Rules Regarding Website Accessibility under Title II of the ADA

By: Regina Garza, Matthew Lear- 06/20/2024

California Supreme Court Clarifies What Constitutes a "Protected Disclosure" for Whistleblower Claims Under Labor Code Section 1102.5

By: Fabiola Rivera, Matthew Lear- 06/29/2023

Court of Appeal Clarifies Executive Order's Effect on Government Claim Deadlines

By: Matthew Lear- 02/14/2022

SB 203 Extends and Expands Protections to Juveniles relating to Custodial Interrogations

By: Matthew Lear- 06/01/2021

UPDATE: California Supreme Court rules against Local Agencies- Local Agencies Cannot Recover Costs of Redacting Video Footage under the Public Records Act

By: Matthew Lear- 06/12/2020

When the Code Enforcement Process Goes Wrong! California Court of Appeals Scolds City for Overzealous Enforcement of the City's Municipal Code

By: Matthew Lear- 05/27/2020

Public Agencies Must Disclose All Public Documents Regardless of the Record's Origin

By: Matthew Lear- 04/20/2020

Law Enforcement Agencies May Disclose Officer Information To Prosecutors

By: Matthew Lear- 10/21/2019

Episode 72 Getting Street Smart About Street Vendors

By: Matthew Lear, Michael Jackson II- 02/13/2024

California's vibrant food cultures and many days of sunshine means you have probably seen an individual selling food and goods from a sidewalk or street cart. However, this entrepreneurship led to many debates about whether certain neighborhoods should be off-limits to street (or sidewalk) vendors, how many to allow, and whether brick-and-mortar businesses needed to give permission for these carts to operate nearby. Thanks to new laws enacted in the past five years, local governments now have some answers on how they can and can't limit these activities. Lozano Smith attorneys Matthew M. Lear and Jack Jackson II join co-host Josh Whiteside as they cover the new laws and consider practical ways for local municipalities to interact with these vibrant vendors.