Matthew S. Dontzin

Matthew S. Dontzin is the founder of Dontzin Kolbe & Fleissig LLP (“DKF”), a trial litigation boutique based in New York. In more than 30 years of practice, Matthew has devised and coordinated trial and litigation strategy for civil and criminal proceedings involving more than $50 billion under the laws of over seven jurisdictions.

Matthew’s practice involves litigation and transactional work for leading asset management firms and their principals, global investment banks, art galleries, and ultra-high net worth individuals. For the past two decades, Matthew has acted as an outside legal counsel to one of the world’s pre-eminent global asset managers, guiding it through myriad litigation and regulatory matters in the U.S. and abroad. Matthew has acted in a similar capacity for other hedge funds, where he also represents the principals individually in complex professional and personal matters.

Matthew routinely handles litigation and other issues for some of the world’s largest investment banks and their executives. He has extensive experience representing clients negotiating contractual agreements and dissolutions at leading financial services firms.

Matthew regularly represents clients in investigations and lawsuits brought by state and federal regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, the U.S. and State Attorneys General offices, and the New York District Attorney’s Office. He also has extensive experience in European courts, having litigated multiple matters in both the U.K. and France.

Inspired by his personal interest in art, Matthew works closely with several leading galleries in a variety of legal issues. For over a decade, Matthew has represented one of the world’s largest galleries in public litigation and sensitive corporate matters, as well as its founder in business and personal matters. Matthew has also worked closely for several decades with other leading galleries and their principals.

Matthew has achieved critical wins in litigations for his art clients, including securing a favorable settlement in a $15 million fraud case against the Knoedler Gallery and a complete dismissal of claims against the artist Peter Doig following a two-week trial in the Illinois federal court. Matthew successfully represented the Directors of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in a dispute with one of its former Board members who sought to oust the directors from the Foundation.

Matthew occasionally handles complex matrimonial matters. He led a team of lawyers in the U.K. in a divorce that resulted in the largest ever matrimonial judgment in the U.K. courts.

Matthew has coordinated public relations strategies with a number of leading firms when his clients have found themselves to be the subject of public interest due to litigation or other matters and maintains excellent relationships with advisors and journalists. As an extension of his work with his clients in their corporate entities, he also advises their families on sensitive personal matters including marital and pre-marital issues, estate and foundation planning, property matters, and employment conflicts.

After graduating from New York University School of Law, Matthew began his practice as a trial lawyer at LaRossa, Mitchell & Ross. After completing a Ford Foundation fellowship in South Africa, Matthew joined Kramer Levin. He founded his own firm in 1993, where he led legal strategy on behalf of the CEO of the National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia in connection with criminal proceedings in the U.S., U.K., Europe, and multiple offshore jurisdictions involving the collapse of Bank of Credit and Commerce International. In this position, Matthew was responsible for supervising over 35 different law firms in more than seven jurisdictions, strengthening his expertise in commercial and international litigation.

A born and raised New Yorker, Matthew is committed to improving the circumstances of the city’s least fortunate and also spends time abroad on matters related to human rights. DKF maintains a robust public interest practice.