Areas Of Practice

• Appeals
• Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith

Matthew D. Cavender joined the firm in August 2022 and is a senior associate with the Appellate Practice division, working remotely from Melbourne. 

A New Jersey native, Matt graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from New York City’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2006. After teaching high school for a year, he moved to South Carolina to attend law school. He graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2010. While in law school, he served as a Research Editor for the South Carolina Law Review and was a member of the Moot Court Bar. He was also a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe, Order of the Coif, and Federalist Society. 

After law school, Matt practiced for three years with a civil litigation firm in Beaufort, South Carolina, handling a range of matters, including personal injury, construction defects, insurance coverage, bad faith, governmental liability, and § 1983 litigation. In addition to his day-to-day litigation practice, he briefed numerous cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, South Carolina Supreme Court, and South Carolina Court of Appeals. 

In 2013, Matt left private practice to join the federal court system, serving as the career law clerk to the Honorable Terry L. Wooten, United States District Court Judge for the District of South Carolina. In that role, Matt gained extensive experience in all manner of federal litigation, both civil and criminal. Matt served in that role until he joined Boyd & Jenerette. 

Matt is admitted to practice in the state courts of Florida and South Carolina; the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, and District of South Carolina; and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit.

Outside of work, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife, Stefanie, and their daughters, Charlize and Sadie Mae. His family and he are enjoying their recent move to the Space Coast and, as long-time Disney fans, their proximity to Disney World. 

Admissions

• Florida, 2022
• South Carolina, 2010

Memberships

• The Florida Bar
  • Appellate Practice Section, 2022-present
• The South Carolina Bar
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, 2010-present
  • Charleston Lawyers Chapter, 2010-2013
  • Columbia Lawyers Chapter, 2013-2022
  • Orlando Lawyers Chapter, 2022-present