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Matthew W. Hoyt

Partner

Columbus
T +1.614.462.2650
F +1.614.462.2616
mhoyt@bakerlaw.com
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Overview

Matt Hoyt combines employment law knowledge, jury trial experience and a proven track record in business immigration matters to offer clients a comprehensive approach to workplace issues. Matt seeks not just to react to requests for legal advice, but to be proactive and make every effort to provide clients with important information in advance so that business decisions are informed and optimal. Matt offers an attorney-driven focus on each immigration matter and applies a 360-degree approach, ensuring not only that visas and green cards are successfully processed, but that matters are handled timely, efficiently and with a zero tolerance policy of strict compliance.

Matt is a frequent speaker and author on topical employment and immigration developments, including through BakerHostetler’s “Employment Law Spotlight” blog. Matt is also a contributing author to Mergers & Acquisitions in the United States: A Practical Guide for Non-U.S. Buyers, a treatise for Aspen Publishers by Elliot J. Feldman. He is also the coordinator of the Employment & Labor Practice Group for the Columbus office.

Select Experience

  • Defended a Fortune 500 client at trial against alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for failure to accommodate, discrimination and retaliation. The trial was one of the few to involve the “cat’s paw” theory of liability under the ADA since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Staub v. Proctor Hospital. 
  • Has obtained O-1 extraordinary ability work visas for executives of major financial services companies, J-1 visa waivers for foreign physicians, E-2 visas for foreign investors, and hundreds of H-1B and L-1 work visas in specialties ranging from information technology to hospitality to health care. In this context, he has counseled individuals through the entire process, from the first work visa to permanent residence (“green card”) to U.S. citizenship.
  • Has obtained temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and favorable settlements for companies victimized by departing employees’ misappropriation of trade secrets and violations of noncompetition, non-solicitation and other restrictive covenants. In one such matter, he was able to secure immediate injunctive relief after a company’s local manager coordinated a mass, unannounced resignation of nearly his entire office staff and started a competing business bearing a similar trade name. 
More »

Experience

  • Defended a Fortune 500 client at trial against alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for failure to accommodate, discrimination and retaliation. The trial was one of the few to involve the “cat’s paw” theory of liability under the ADA since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Staub v. Proctor Hospital. 
  • Has obtained O-1 extraordinary ability work visas for executives of major financial services companies, J-1 visa waivers for foreign physicians, E-2 visas for foreign investors, and hundreds of H-1B and L-1 work visas in specialties ranging from information technology to hospitality to health care. In this context, he has counseled individuals through the entire process, from the first work visa to permanent residence (“green card”) to U.S. citizenship.
  • Has obtained temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and favorable settlements for companies victimized by departing employees’ misappropriation of trade secrets and violations of noncompetition, non-solicitation and other restrictive covenants. In one such matter, he was able to secure immediate injunctive relief after a company’s local manager coordinated a mass, unannounced resignation of nearly his entire office staff and started a competing business bearing a similar trade name. 
  • Has obtained P-1 visas for professional athletes and their essential support personnel in the IndyCar and NASCAR series.
  • During a trial for workplace defamation, obtained a unanimous jury verdict for a large automobile manufacturer on behalf of its employees who had testified against the plaintiffs – who were the employees’ coworkers – during a workplace investigation. 
  • Secured a ruling in favor of an airline client in an administrative hearing before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission alleging race and sex discrimination. 
  • Secured a National Interest Waiver green card for a young physician and cancer researcher, which allowed her to obtain permanent residence status on an expedited track to live and work in the U.S. The physician was in the early stages of her career but, compared to her peer group of young physicians, she demonstrated the potential to contribute at a high level to the field of cancer research. 

Recognitions and Memberships

Recognitions

  • The Legal 500 United States (2017 to 2019)
    • Recommended in Immigration

Memberships

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • Columbus Bar Association: Barrister Leaders Program

News

Press Releases

Publications

Alerts

Events

Community

  • Southeast, Inc., Healthcare Services
    • Board President (2010 to present)
    • Board of Directors (2003 to present)

Services

Industries

Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2004
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, 2002
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, 2002
  • Ohio

Education

  • J.D., Notre Dame Law School, 2000
  • B.A., Michigan State University, 1996

Blog

In The Blogs

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Employment Law Spotlight
Texas Legislature and Courts Clash With Cities Over Mandatory Sick Leave: What Employers Need to Know
June 24, 2019
Dallas has become the third city in Texas, following Austin and San Antonio, to pass a city ordinance requiring private-sector employers to offer paid sick leave to their employees. The ordinances have yet to be implemented in any of these...
Read More ->
Employment Law Spotlight
New York State Expected to Vastly Overhaul Harassment/Discrimination Laws Again
By Amanda Van Hoose Garofalo
June 21, 2019
Late on June 19, New York lawmakers passed a bill that makes wide-sweeping changes to New York State discrimination and harassment law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has indicated that he will sign the bill, but he has not done so at this point. The...
Read More ->
Employment Law Spotlight
High Times for Employees in Nevada: New Restrictions on Preemployment Drug-Screening of Applicants Who Test Positive for Marijuana
June 18, 2019
Beginning in 2020, Nevada employers can no longer refuse to hire a job applicant for failing a preemployment marijuana screening test. The law, known as “AB132,” became effective on June 5 and is the first of its kind among the states...
Read More ->
Employment Law Spotlight
Connecticut Passes Generous Paid Family and Medical Leave Law
By Saima Z. Sheikh
June 16, 2019
Joining a steadily growing national trend, the Connecticut Legislature recently passed a generous paid family and medical leave bill, which will make Connecticut the seventh state — in addition to California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New...
Read More ->
Employment Law Spotlight
Colorado Shores Up Employee Protections for Criminal History Inquiries, Wage Theft and Pay Equity During Busy 2019 Legislative Session
By Nathan A. Schacht
June 14, 2019
Colorado’s 2019 legislative session was busy, including producing a trio of new employment laws that tighten regulations on employers in the areas of pay equity, criminal history inquiries and wage theft. Employers face comprehensive...
Read More ->

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