Matthew Stephen Dearth

Matt was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, where he attended J.H. Bruns Collegiate. Prior to moving to the United States, Matt served with distinction in the Canadian Army as an armored reconnaissance soldier with the 38th Brigade Group. He received an honorable discharge in 2008.

Matt attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, majoring in Political Science, where he graduated magna cum laude. He represented UND at the 2011 Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Following his undergraduate studies, Matt earned his juris doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. During his time at UND Law, Matt worked in the Immigration Law Clinic while acting as class representative with the Student Bar Association. Matt served as vice president of the UND Federalist Society for 2 years, as well as the President of the UND International Human Rights Organization (IHRO). Matt also served as Treasurer for the UND Law Moot Court Association.

While at UND Law, Matt found his passion for the U.S. Constitution, Rule of Law, and the rights of the accused. In addition to receiving the top grade award in Criminal Procedure 1, Criminal Procedure 2, and Domestic Violence Law, Matt served as a judicial extern to Judge Daniel Hovland and Magistrate Charles Miller of the U.S. District Court in Bismarck. Matt also served as an extern with the Walsh County State’s Attorney’s Office in Grafton.

Upon graduation from UND Law, Matt completed a clerkship with the East Central Judicial District, based in Fargo. He then became an assistant public defender with Minnesota’s 9th District Public Defender’s Office. Matt came to Vogel a seasoned assistant public defender with a 100 percent trial-win record! And believe me, he took cases to trial.

Matt currently lives in Crookston with his wife and son, and their tuxedo cat. In his free time during the summer, Matt enjoys wilderness exploration, visiting museums, SCUBA diving, and sailing his 25-foot sloop, Abigail, out on the biggest lake he can find. During the winter months, he enjoys model railroading, strategy games, and planning the next summer’s outdoor adventures.

Matt’s maintains a solid and growing community of clients in criminal defense and related litigation, and has gradually expanded his practice into the areas of agricultural law, water law, and land use. He also represents both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial and general litigation, including local business owners, as well as local counsel for several multinational corporations doing business in the Red River Valley and across North Dakota and Minnesota.