Matthew B. "Matt" Byers

Competent insurance law advice but room for improvement

I worked with Matt Byers on a business insurance coverage dispute that arose after our company faced a significant property damage claim that our insurer initially denied. As someone relatively early in his career at Alston & Bird, Matt demonstrated solid understanding of insurance law principles and was able to identify several key policy provisions that ultimately worked in our favor. His Georgetown law background clearly provided him with strong analytical skills, and I appreciated that he took time to explain the technical legal points without being overly academic. However, the communication throughout the process was somewhat inconsistent. There were stretches of several days without updates, and I often had to follow up multiple times to get responses to time-sensitive questions. While Matt's recognition in insurance law appears well-deserved based on his technical competence, the overall client management aspect could be stronger. The final outcome was satisfactory - we reached a reasonable settlement with the insurance company - but the process felt more arduous than necessary. For straightforward insurance matters, Matt's expertise is certainly adequate, though clients should be prepared to be more proactive about communication and timeline management than might be expected from more experienced practitioners.