Reginato ‘knows how to get things done’

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Matteo Reginato went to law school with the intention of pursuing a practice in transactional law. He had graduated cum laude from the University of Houston and established a successful career in finance and mergers and acquisitions.

“I initially decided to go law school to build upon the skills I had developed in my first career,” he said. “How I ended up a litigator is anyone’s guess.”

Now just a few years into his practice in municipal and civil-rights litigation, the 33-year-old attorney is already overseeing a case that has been accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court. He is taking the lead in drafting the lower and state appellate briefs.

He is always working closely with a managing partner at Arenz, Molter, Macy, Riffle & Larson and a professor at Harvard Law School on the case, which is expected to be argued before the Supreme Court in October.

“Anyone who has litigated understands the complexities involved in federal and appellate practice, and Matteo navigates these forums with ease and precision,” said his wife and fellow attorney, Jessica Reginato. “He has drafted and filed more federal and appellate briefs in three years than many do in an entire career.”

Born in Italy and raised in Texas, Reginato said he has become a full-blown cheesehead since settling in Wisconsin. He graduated magna cum laude from Marquette University Law School, where he contributed to the university’s law review and moot court, completed a clerkship at a litigation law firm and was awarded multiple CALI Excellence for the Future Awards.

After graduation, he worked as a litigation associate at Crivello Carlson before moving to the Waukesha firm of Arenz, Molter, Macy, Riffle & Larson.

Reginato represents local governments and officials, employees and insurers. He has litigated cases involving the use of force by law enforcement, jail and prison-medical care, the conditions of confinement, the First Amendment, civil rights, municipal liability and land use and zoning.

Reginato currently lectures on a variety of topics and aspires to become an adjunct professor of law — that is, should his plan to become a country music superstar fall through.

He said he considers one of his greatest accomplishments as a litigator to be “sharing good news with a satisfied client after winning or reaching a great resolution that avoided complicated, drawn-out and costly litigation.”

“Matteo’s legal abilities are equally matched by his determination and guts,” Jessica said. “Whether it be moving to the United States from Italy and learning English from scratch as a first-grader, to becoming the first person in his family to graduate from law school, to working on a lawsuit in front of the United States Supreme Court, Matteo knows how to get things done.”