Matthew C. Moschella named a Distinguished Leader by 2026 New England Legal Awards

Matthew C. Moschella, Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department, has been selected as a “Distinguished Leader” by the 2026 New England Legal Awards (NELA.) Matt was honored among attorneys in the region for his exceptional advocacy, leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to justice. NELA winners and finalists will be honored at an awards gala on October 8 at the Westin Copley Place in Boston. The full list of honorees is featured here.

The Distinguished Leaders award recognizes lawyers who achieved impressive career results and demonstrated clear leadership skills that helped them achieve those results, including winning significant cases, helping a firm grow, managing a major deal or getting a key piece of legislation passed or defeated.

For nearly two decades, Matt served as lead counsel for Alabama death-row prisoner Anthony Boyd, inheriting the decades-old case in 2008. The case reached national significance in 2025 when he led litigation challenging Alabama’s use of nitrogen hypoxia. Although the courts ultimately permitted the execution to proceed, the factual record he created became central to the national conversation surrounding the constitutionality of nitrogen hypoxia. As of present, death by nitrogen hypoxia has been declared unconstitutional in Alabama due in part to Matt’s dedication.

Matt, a member of the firm’s Litigation and Employment Practice Groups, represents companies and individuals in a wide variety of civil matters in state and federal courts across the country, as well as in arbitration proceedings. His employment litigation practice includes representing employers concerning complaints filed against them with state and federal administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (and its state equivalents), the Department of Labor (and its state equivalents), and other agencies. In addition to representing clients in various types of civil litigation, Matt counsels clients in a wide variety of industries on employment risk management issues, including employment contracts; employee handbooks; non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements; severance agreements; and hiring and termination issues. A member of the firm’s Professional Liability group, he represents lawyers and law firms in various types of professional responsibility and legal malpractice matters. Matt is an adjunct professor at New England Law Boston where he teaches contract drafting.

The New England Legal Awards stand as a distinguished celebration of professional excellence within the legal community across Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. This event serves as a testament to the outstanding contributions and achievements made by legal professionals within the region.