Matthew Edward Haynes

Matthew Haynes has a state-wide reputation as a successful trial lawyer. Mr. Haynes has tried numerous cases involving wrongful death; automobile negligence; premises liability, negligent security; uninsured motorist coverage; employment discrimination; civil RICO violations; First Amendment violations; "whistle-blower" violations; and, breaches of fiduciary duty, cases to verdict. Before joining Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey and Fronrath, he was frequently retained as co-counsel by firms throughout Florida to assist them in presenting cases to juries.

Matthew E. Haynes is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Civil Trial Litigation. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. Out of more than 80,000 attorneys in Florida, only around 1,100 are Board Certified in Civil Trial Law.

In addition to his active litigation practice, Mr. Haynes has been retained to testify as an expert witness in the field of bad faith litigation and attorneys’ fees. Furthermore, Mr. Haynes has been selected as an arbitrator by other attorneys to determine the value of cases.

Mr. Haynes has lectured on the topic of trial practice, both in Florida and internationally. Mr. Haynes was invited to lecture at Peking University School of Law in Beijing, China on the role of jury trials in the civil justice system. While there, he was one of the first Americans ever invited to observe a civil jury trial in China.

Mr. Haynes was also invited by the United States Navy to participate in its "Leaders to the Sea" program. Through this program, the Navy identifies and invites key leaders throughout the country to personally experience life at sea on a warship. After selection, Mr. Haynes was flown by helicopter to a Guided Missile Destroyer at sea. There, he spent the day with the Captain and crew before boarding the helicopter for the return flight.

Mr. Haynes is also active in the community. He and his family combine their love for the ocean and respect for the environment by cleaning and maintaining local coral reefs. Working together with a local SCUBA diving club, his family won a local competition to gather the most trash from a local reef.

Mr. Haynes was born on Long Island, New York. His family moved to Jupiter, Florida in 1980. Mr. Haynes graduated from Jupiter High School. He met his wife, Tracy, while attending FSU. She is an elementary school teacher. Together, they have 3 Boys: Matthew Edward; Samuel Raymond; and Joseph Patrick. The family enjoys SCUBA diving, fishing, and baseball.