Our August Attorney Volunteer of the Month has been an absolute pacesetter– in the span of only two years, Matthew 'Matt' McLaughlin has onboarded pro bono cases at an expeditious rate. Through our Children’s Attorneys Project (CAP), Matt has provided crucial legal advocacy to fifteen vulnerable children whose cases, otherwise, would be left in a state of limbo.
A collaborative presentation given at Mr. McLaughlin’s firm, Hutchison & Steffen, sparked his initial enthusiasm in pro bono participation. The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, in conjunction with former partner and current Nevada Supreme Court Justice Patty Lee, highlighted the critical need for pro bono volunteers. Matt quickly rose to the occasion, offering to represent three children– a drug-exposed infant, and a pair of siblings impacted by domestic violence. Mr. McLaughlin states that despite his self-ascribed ‘lack of prior experience’ in juvenile advocacy, he never felt unsupported in his endeavor of providing these children a voice: “the Legal Aid Center equipped me with comprehensive resources, including free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) materials on representing children in abuse and neglect cases, and assigned me an experienced mentor.”
Since that initial spark, Matt has continued to provide compassionate, empathetic, and informed representation to our community’s neglected children. Primarily advocating for our youngest CAP clients, infants and toddlers, Matt now expertly employs tailored legal frameworks to anticipate their needs: “in these cases, I exercise substituted judgment to determine their interests based on thorough assessments of their circumstances.” Ultimately, Mr. McLaughlin aims to provide assistance and support to children who are subjected to difficult and unfair circumstances– “my position as an attorney grants me the privilege and responsibility to guide these children through some of the most challenging moments of their lives. By providing legal representation, I help ensure their voices are heard and their futures are protected.”
Indeed, Mr. McLaughlin’s impassioned goal provides favorable outcomes to his clients; such as, for instance, one case involving a toddler-aged girl removed from her home due to neglectful conditions. Successfully advocating for his child to be safely taken under the care of her grandparents paved the way for an eventual adoption into their safe and nurturing home. Moreover, an open-adoption agreement allowed the mother healthy proximity to the child: “this resolution ensured the child’s safety and well-being while preserving the possibility of a meaningful connection with her biological mother, achieving an optimal balance of stability and family ties.” As a direct result of Matt’s diligence and determination, this young girl has the opportunity to grow up in a dignified and supportive environment.
When prompted to reflect on the nature of pro bono work, Matt McLaughlin replied with the following: “to me, pro bono means utilizing my legal expertise to champion the causes of individuals who cannot advocate for themselves.”
It is for this reason that we applaud Matt as our August 2025 Attorney Volunteer of the Month!
Matt S. McLaughlin is a senior associate in the Hutchison & Steffen Las Vegas, Nevada, office. He practices in a range of areas, with a focus on general civil litigation. He is admitted to practice law in Nevada (2022) and California (2014).
Matt graduated from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2013, where he earned CALI Awards for Trial Practice and Environmental Law. He completed his undergraduate work at Gonzaga University in 2009 (B.A. Political Science). While in law school, Matt clerked for Kimball, Tirey & St. John in San Diego. His work focused on the defense of federal and state disabled person’s discrimination actions and general civil litigation. Matt went on to clerk for Trovillion, Inveiss & Demakis, a workers’ compensation defense firm in San Diego. He was hired as an associate in 2014 and handled all aspects of workers’ compensation claim defense. In 2017, he was promoted to managing partner of the firm’s Orange County office. He continued in that role until 2021, when he relocated to Las Vegas. Matt joined Hutchison & Steffen in November 2022.
In his free time, Matt enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, snowboarding, and live music. He is also an avid Gonzaga basketball and San Diego Padres fan.
This article first appeared on Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada’s Pro Bono Project website.
