Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska | Attorneys At Law (312) 767-9790
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    • GENERAL LITIGATION
    • CONSTRUCTION DEFECT/NEGLIGENCE
    • HEALTHCARE AND LONG-TERM CARE
    • MEDICAL DRUG AND DEVICE
    • PREMISES LIABILITY
    • PRODUCT LIABILITY & MASS TORT
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    • CANNABIS LAW
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MATTHEW FIELDS - PARTNER
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(314) 391-9853
mfields@sinarslaw.com

Selected as a top-rated Class Action/Mass Torts Attorney by Super Lawyers

Biography

Matthew Fields is a partner with Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska. He is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses his practice in the areas of the defense of asbestos and toxic tort litigation, products liability, professional liability, insurance and commercial litigation. He has tried multiple jury trials solo and has been a part of another approximately 10-plus trial teams. His contributions have ranged from first-chair, co-first chair and second-chair, oftentimes trying cases as a team without chair distinctions. 

For nearly two decades, Matthew has defended both large and small companies in cases involving claims of exposure to asbestos either through products, premises, contractors, supplies and employers. Matthew has successfully defended clients in lawsuits related to asbestos exposure throughout Missouri and Illinois. Of note, Matthew assisted a Fortune 500 company to obtain orders of dismissals in over 700 pending cases. He also obtained a directed verdict at the close of plaintiff’s evidence for a small family-owned business in asbestos trial in Madison County, Illinois.
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Matthew has also successfully handled matters in the areas of personal injury, premises liability, insurance coverage, corporate law. contractual disputes, real estate transactions, employment issues, professional liability, legal malpractice and class actions.  Matthew has significant trial experience in both state and federal courts throughout the Missouri and Illinois. Notably, Matthew obtained a multi-million-dollar judgment in contractual dispute over the sale of a business and fraud; obtained a defense verdict in a single-vehicle uninsured motorist case involving a quadriplegic plaintiff with over one million dollars in insurance coverage; obtained a directed verdict on behalf of a local family-owned business in a Madison County, Illinois asbestos case; and also obtained a one million dollar judgment for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud resulting from the embezzlement of his client’s funds by a fiduciary. 

Additionally, Matthew has defended architects, contractors, engineers and attorneys against claims of professional liability. Most recently, Matthew successfully defended a Construction Manager from claims of professional liability for the selection, installation and training on the new bleachers installed at a high school and arising out of a slip-and-fall where plaintiff claimed damages in excess of $1 million dollars. Matthew also represented attorneys against claims for legal malpractice and matters involving the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission and Missouri Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel.  

Matthew always strives to provide his clients with the best possible legal representation while using a business-decision strategy and cost-effective approach to resolve the dispute. He was selected by Super Lawyers as a top-rated Class Action/Mass Torts Attorney in Missouri/Kansas in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Super Lawyers  is a designation of top-rated practicing attorneys selected through extensive evaluation.

Publications and Presentations

Matthew has been a frequent speaker and author on topics relating to tort litigation as well as managing complex insurance coverage cases and effective depositions.

  • “Voir Dire and Jury Selection — How Jurors Think: What Every Litigator Needs to Know,” NBI (2018)
  • “The Basics of Taking and Defending Effective Depositions,” The Missouri Bar (2017)
  • “Voir Dire and Jury Selection — How Jurors Think: What Every Litigator Needs to Know,” NBI (2016)
  • “The Basics of Taking and Defending Effective Depositions — How to Ask Questions Effectively and What to Ask,” The Missouri Bar (2015)
  • “The Basics of Taking and Defending Effective Depositions — How to Ask Questions Effectively and What to Ask,” The Missouri Bar (2014)
  • “The Basics of Taking and Defending Effective Depositions — How to Ask Questions Effectively and What to Ask,” The Missouri Bar (2013)
  • “Asbestos — Current Issues and Effective Litigation Tactics,” NBI seminar (April 2013)
  • “How to Ask Questions Effectively and What to Ask,” The Basics of Taking and Defending Effective Depositions, The Missouri Bar seminar (2012)
  • “Torts and Civil Actions,” The Missouri Bar Annual Law Update (2012)
  • “Preparing Witnesses for Deposition,” Taking and Defending Effective Depositions in Missouri (2006)

Education

  • Saint Louis University School of Law, JD, 2000
  • Eastern Illinois University, BA, 1993

Admissions

  • Illinois 
  • ​Missouri
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
  • United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Professional Memberships

  • The Missouri Bar
  • The Illinois State Bar Association
  • The Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis
  • The Lawyers Association of Saint Louis
  • The Defense Research Institute
  • The Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
  • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

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​CHICAGO

55 W. Monroe St.
Suite 4000
Chicago, IL 60603


(312) 767-9790

SAN RAMON

​6101 Bollinger Canyon Rd.
​Suite 326
San Ramon, CA 94583

​
​(925) 676-4200

DALLAS/FORT WORTH

​1360 N. White Chapel Blvd.
​Suite 200
Southlake, TX 76092

​
​(312) 767-9790

SEATTLE

1000 2nd Ave.
Suite 1950
​Seattle, WA  98104

​
​(206) 705-2115

MADISON COUNTY

315 N. Main St.
Suite 2
Edwardsville, IL 62025

(618) 215-6780

ST. LOUIS

​800 Market St.
Suite 2950
St. Louis, MO 63101

(314) 391-2260



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