Matthew James Faulkner

I belong to a family firm that has been in business since 1974. I have been a partner with Faulkner Law Offices since 2001.  I have exceptional experience in personal injury litigation and trial practice including: products liability, brain injury cases, medical device class actions and other significant cases.  I have changed the law concerning premises liability on the appellate court level. 

I was born in 1969 in Bakersfield, California. I received my undergraduate degree at the University of Santa Barbara and Juris Doctorate degree at Golden Gate University of Law in San Francisco. While living in San Francisco before beginning law school,  I worked on the cutting edge of computer technology during the heyday of its expansion into all areas of industry.  I have extensive experience in information technology, web design, desktop publishing and digital trial presentation. I am a certified trainer for the trial presenation software Trial Director. I have used my technical ability in law since being a lawyer in my own practice. I often advise other lawyers in the implementation and use of office management software and trial presentation technology.

I am very active in the legal community and work with cooperatively with other lawyers to constantly improve my trial advocacy. I am committed to public service in our community. I am on the Board of Directors for our local County Bar Association and I serve the community in many organizations local and statewide. I am involved in the arts community and sit on the Board of Directors of the Arts Council of Kern.

Our firm comprises my father, James L. Faulkner, my mother, Kathleen Ellis Faulkner, and me. I have been steeped in the tradition of law since I worked with my family at 14. By age 18, I was an investigator for our personal injury cases. My father likes to joke that my first day in Law School was when I went with him as a four year old. Being part of a family business is being supportive of your family as you work together.

I remember as far back as when I was six years old watching my dad in trial. One time I was very tired after school when my grandmother took me to see my dad give a closing argument in one of his cases. I dozed off and fell out of my chair, at which point my dad told the jury, "well my son fell asleep, I guess my argument should end here."

What sets our firm apart is that we think of our firm as more than just a business. We think about our clients as members of our family. We deeply care about building personal relationships with our clients that last a lot longer than their case. Our clients are our partners and our friends. We try one case at a time and give it all we have for each of our clients. To some firms, a client is just another case. To us, we know that our client's case means everything to them. Justice is done one person and one case at a time.