Foley is pleased to announce that Michael P. Matthews and Anthony M. Rodriguez have been named 2010 Tampa Bay Business Journal Up and Comers. This award, segmented by age group, recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of rising professionals in the Tampa Bay area.
Matthews is a partner and vice chair of the firm’s Government Enforcement, Compliance & White Collar Defense Practice. He focuses his practice primarily on securities class actions, SEC enforcement matters, shareholder derivative actions, False Claims Act matters, and government enforcement matters. He also represents individuals seeking political asylum in a number of pro bono matters. In addition to his work at Foley, Matthews currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and is a member of the Goldburg American Inn of Court in Tampa.
Rodriguez is an associate of the firm’s Real Estate Practice, the Hospitality, Resort & Golf Industry Team and the Tax & Individual Planning and Tax & Employee Benefits Practices. His practice primarily focuses on the development of single-family and multifamily real estate projects, including condominium and homeowner association planned communities, as well as golf club amenity development and membership structuring. Additionally, he has represented lenders and developers in the financing and leasing of various commercial projects, and has recently become involved in wind and water energy development projects in multiple states.
He began his strong dedication to continuing education early, serving as an executive board member to the Florida Journal of International Law during his academic tenure in addition to his Florida Blue Key membership. Since then, he has authored a number of compelling articles related to his work to share his experience and perspective with his peers and maintains an active Certified Public Accountant license.
Working closely with a foreclosure prevention initiative sponsored by the Florida Bar and other non-profit entities, known as the Florida Attorneys Saving Homes (FASH) project, Rodriguez volunteers pro bono support to individual homeowners qualifying through the program in negotiating the restructuring of their home mortgage loan terms in the midst of economic hardship. Other examples of his pro bono support include counseling a local charitable organization in the creation of a non-profit subsidiary to provide low income housing and lease drafting for a charitable organization assisting children.
Both Matthews and Rodriguez fully embody the firm’s core values – integrity, insight and innovation – as key to providing the highest quality legal services. We congratulate Matthews and Rodriguez for being selected for this prestigious recognition.
