Our office is proud to announce the latest addition to our team, Matt Shupe. Matt is a recent graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and is currently awaiting the summer 2012 Bar Exam Results.
Matt is a person who has advocated for the disabled his entire life. After seeing his uncle struggle to obtain disability benefits back in the 1990’s, and how an attorney helped him get the benefits to stabilize his household, Matt knew what he wanted to do when he grew up.
In 2008, Matt graduated magna cum laude from Slippery Rock University with degrees in history and anthropology. During his time at Slippery Rock, Matt acted as vice president of Phi Alpha Theta and won the National Best Chapter Award in 2008. He also held the title of treasurer for two years on the Student Advisory Board as well as worked as a peer tutor.
After graduation, Matt began his foray into the disability law field with an internship at Paulette Balin & Associates as a case manager in 2009. Here Matt helped develop over 450 active disability and SSI claims. He communicated frequently with health care professionals and Social Security representatives, as well as prepared cases for court hearings.
In 2009, Matt also began attending Case Western Reserve University School of Law. During this time he continued to work as a legal intern for Paulette Balin & Associates, writing legal briefs for Appeals Council and federal court cases. During this time he also worked for the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic Center as a Supreme Court of Ohio Certified Legal Intern. Here Matt provided transactional and corporate counsel legal services for education and arts-based non-profit organizations. Matt also assisted physically and mentally impaired clients that were discriminated against under state and federal Fair Housing laws.
Also during this time, Matt spearheaded a community project in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to build a handicap-accessible garden for low-income adults. Matt organized the project, as well as helped build the garden himself, which is enjoyed by many in the Cleveland Heights community to this day.
Now that we are lucky to have Matt back in our office, he will be actively representing clients in court, conducting prospective client interviews, as well as continuing to write compelling legal briefs. We are proud to have Matt as part of our team and wish him the best success as our newest associate attorney once he passes the Ohio Bar Exam!