Matthew E. Birch
About
Matt Birch is an accomplished trial attorney and a partner at Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman, Chtd., where he helps people fight for compensation for their injuries. Matt became an attorney because he genuinely enjoys helping people solve problems and make their lives better.
Throughout his distinguished career, Matt has focused on representing the parents and families of children and infants who have been injured by medical negligence and malpractice. With six children of his own, Matt relates deeply to his clients and treasures the relationships he has built with them. He is particularly passionate about helping families that are facing the challenges of raising children with specific, special needs and providing them with the resources they need to make their lives as close to normal as possible. Matt’s greatest reward is the knowledge of his team’s hard work and sacrifice has made a positive difference in the lives of so many people.
Matt has been with Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman, Chtd. since 2000. In June of 2001, he left the firm to serve as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Dean Whipple, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Upon completion of his clerkship in the summer of 2003, Matt returned to Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman, Chtd. Since then, he has devoted his practice to representing individuals and families harmed by defective products, medical negligence, and other careless and reckless acts.
Matt is a firm believer in the fact that personal injury cases are not about money; they are about helping people in need, honoring the memory of a lost loved one, holding wrongdoers accountable, and changing policy for the better. No matter his clients’ motivations, their struggles become his and, together, they have affected considerable positive change.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Matt has called the area home his entire life. He earned his undergraduate degree from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas in 1997 before going on to attend law school at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law. During his time in law school, Matt served as a managing editor of the U.M.K.C. Law Review, a staff member for Urban Lawyer, and a teaching assistant in the university’s legal writing program. He graduated with distinction.
Matt is also a published author, with several works on various legal topics, and a frequent presenter at legal education events and seminars. He has been recognized by his peers and numerous legal organizations, having been selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers® and Super Lawyers® Rising Stars℠ lists on multiple occasions. He was also named among Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s 2010 “Up and Coming Lawyers” and was selected by the Kansas City Business Journal as being among the “Best of the Bar” in 2011.
In his free time, Matt spends as much time as he can with his wife, Liz, and their six children: Reese, Paige, Laine, Grace, Quinn, and Bryan.
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Areas of Practice
- General Tort
- Product Liability
- Medical Negligence
- Class Action Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Missouri
- Kansas
- S. District Court Western District of Missouri
- S. District Court District of Kansas
- S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit
- S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
Education
- University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, with Distinction
- Teaching Assistant, Legal Writing Program
- U.M.K.C. Law Review, Managing Editor
- Staff Member, Urban Lawyer
- Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas – 1997
Honors & Awards
- Super Lawyer 2020
- Super Lawyer, 2014-2016
- “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, 2008 – 2011
- Selection to Missouri Lawyers Weekly 2010 Up & Coming Lawyers
- Kansas City Business Journal Best of the Bar, 2011
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Association for Justice, Member
- Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, Member
- Kansas Association for Justice, Member
- KAJ Executive Committee, 2012-2015
- KAJ Chairman Education Committee, 2012-2015
- KAJ Legislative Committee, 2013-2016
- KAJ Chairman Public Affairs Committee, 2015-2016
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
Published Works
- Casey Tourtillott & Matthew E. Birch, “The Right to Bring A Wrongful Death Claim in Kansas: Does the Statute of Limitations Begin to Run at Death,” 70 U.M.K.C. L. Rev. 103, 2001
- Matthew E. Birch, “The Imposition of Punitive Damages for the Tortious Acts of Employees in Kansas,” J.K.T.L.A. No. 3, 16, 2001
Presentations
- (Ethics) Avoiding Trouble While Obtaining and Investigating Cases, June 26, 2015
- 10 Common Mistakes Made in Taking Depositions, April 26, 2013
- Ten Commandments of Medical Negligence Cases for the Patient’s Counsel, June 8, 2012
- Deposition Changes – The Rules Relating to Changes and What You Can do with Opponents’ Changes, April 5, 2012
- How to Evaluate & Select Civil Cases, November 4, 2011
- Managing Liens in Personal Injury Settlements, June 30, 2011
- Medical Malpractice from A-Z, June 17, 2011
- Medical Records Law: Mining Electronic Medical Records for Precious Information, June 10, 2011 / September 17, 2013
- The Reasonable Value Standard Under Martinez: The Practical Import of the Court’s Holding The Plaintiff’s Perspective, April 15, 2011 / April 20, 2012
- Forcing Defendants to Identify Persons Whose Fault Will be Compared and to Specify the Allegations Against the Persons, September 08, 2006
Past Employment Positions
- Hon. Dean Whipple, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Judicial Law Clerk, 2001-2003
