Matt Jacobs

Matt Jacobs joined Gustafson Gluek PLLC as an associate in 2023.  Since joining the Firm, Matt has represented clients in cases involving antitrust, consumer protection, and constitutional violations, among other things.  Among the most significant cases in which Matt has been actively involved is an antitrust class action against the NCAA brought on behalf of so-called “volunteer coaches,” alleging that NCAA unlawfully fixed salaries of these coaches at Division I institutions. Matt has also worked on In re Deere & Co. Repair Services Antitrust Litig., in which Gustafson Gluek is Co-Lead Counsel representing a proposed class of farmers who purchased repair services from John Deere and are alleging that Deere monopolized the market for repair and diagnostic services for its agricultural equipment to inflate the price of these services.

Matt has also worked on many important pro bono cases at the Firm. He recently secured a settlement for a pro bono client pursuant to which a former employer agreed to release its claims arising from a “stay-or-pay” contract in exchange for his client releasing claims against the former employer for wage theft. Matt has assisted the Firm in representing civilly committed sex offenders, who, despite having court orders for transfer to a less restrictive placement in the program, have not been transferred by the State. These plaintiffs allege constitutional violations by the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services for her failure to abide by the court orders for transfer. Matt has also worked on a pro bono basis on behalf of individuals who were arrested on criminal charges, found to be insufficiently competent to proceed with their criminal charges, and civilly committed to the custody of the Minnesota Department of Human Services for treatment. These plaintiffs also allege constitutional violations for the State’s failure to timely transfer them, leaving them to linger in jails for weeks and months without treatment.

Matt is involved in the Minnesota chapter of the Federal Bar Association as well as the Minnesota State Bar Association. 

Matt earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. Before law school, he earned bachelor's degrees in Spanish and philosophy and a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Oregon. During law school, Matt clerked for an impact litigation firm that advocates for the rights of low-wage workers. He also represented workers in unemployment benefits appeals as a certified student attorney. Matt was the first Minnesota Farmers Union Fellow at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where he worked on issues at the intersection of antitrust and agriculture, including the right-to-repair. He was also a founding member of University of Minnesota Law Students for Economic Justice. After law school, Matt clerked for the Honorable Elise L. Larson at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Before his legal career, Matt spent time in academia, helped open and operate a small escape room business, and worked as a professional brewer. Matt continues to use his knowledge from brewing to make delicious, fermented foods at home, such as kimchi and sauerkraut. When they’re not busy fixing up their century-old house, Matt and his partner enjoy walking with their dog around the many parks of south Minneapolis.

For more information regarding Matt and a list of his representative cases, see below.