7:28Key Takeaways
Representing People Became the Purpose Behind His Legal Career.
Matt now advocates for injured workers, first responders, and their families.
One Firefighter Case Helped Shape a Practice That Now Reaches Across Maryland.
That first case led to representing firefighters across Maryland and advocating for them in Annapolis.
After More Than Three Decades, Matt Took the Leap Into Solo Practice.
The Darby Law Group gives Matt more freedom to serve his railroad and firefighter clients his way.
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Railroads, firefighters, and going solo after 33 years
I have two children. My son is currently in Lake Tahoe working at a ski resort — he graduated from Gettysburg College and started out there as a ski instructor, so when the kids reunited we did a lot of skiing. My daughter is a very good skier as well, and she is an equestrian, so she rides horses. My biggest interest is probably history, primarily World War II history. Other than that I play golf, not well. A lot of the organisations I work with when I represent employees, both firefighters and in the railroad industry, are unions, and they all have golf outings, so I get to play every now and then.
Just recently I changed my practice. After spending the majority of my entire career up to this point, since 1988, in a firm, I had an inclination that I wanted to practise by myself — what we call the professional solo practitioner. There are some disadvantages to that, but I wanted to experience the advantages. So about a month ago I left the firm I was with. Wonderful people, good lawyers. I took my railroad practice and continued my firefighter practice there too.
What it gives me a chance to do is not only have more freedom in the practice and how I conduct it, but also the freedom to provide my clients more of the compensation they deserve, because everything good that goes on in my practice is because of them. At the beginning of the month I was probably practising law ten per cent of the time and setting up the practice for the other ninety. Yesterday I think I practised ninety per cent of the day and only had to deal with office things for the rest. It depends on the day.
I just felt in my heart that I would be better and happier representing the people.
Matt Darby, The Darby Law Group
I would like to say I planned focusing on railroads and firefighters, but that would be misleading. I started my career at a firm doing the defence side of what I do now — representing railroads and employers in workers’ compensation cases. I was there about five years, again a really great group of people who treated me very well, but I just felt in my heart that I would be better and happier representing the people. When you get a good result and you really help an individual in need, it is great.
So I had an opportunity to go and practise with a fellow who had a small firm representing injured people and their families, and that expanded my knowledge of the railroad industry. At the same time I had an opportunity to represent a single firefighter who had a very complex heart issue potentially related to his work as a firefighter. We were able to prove that, and he ended up singing my praises. He worked for Howard County Fire Department, so I started representing Howard County firefighters, then Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County firefighters — really all over the state. I have testified in Annapolis on a number of legislative matters.
In the railroad industry that practice continued to grow and I became what is called designated legal counsel for several of the railroad unions. We work not only with the membership who have their boots on the ground and are the ones who suffer injuries, sometimes very terrible injuries, but also with the union leadership. I have gone to Washington a couple of times to testify on matters pertinent to the railroad industry, because everything in the railroad industry is nationwide, so the laws apply across the country — whereas the firefighter matters are all Maryland issues.