Imad S. Matini

Imad Matini is an associate in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. He is lead associate of the Telecom Team.

Areas of Practice

Imad focuses his practice on business litigation and regulatory compliance. His representations have involved complex and high-stakes litigation matters and ranged from commercial disputes to cases involving statutory, international law, trade secret, communications and administrative law issues. Imad's matters have also been reported in the media. The firm’s Communications Industry Team, of which Imad is a member, was named “Telecommunications Practice Group of the Year” for 2019. 

In addition to his practice, Imad is actively involved in the firm. He currently serves as a Lead of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group at the Washington, D.C., office, and is a member of the Recruiting Committee and Pro Bono Committee.

Prior to joining the firm, Imad clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit as well as at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Imad's article, "Distinctions with a Difference," has also been published in the University of Tennessee Law Review.

While in law school, Imad served as Editor-in-Chief of his law review, was a member of the Tax Moot Court team, and worked on behalf of indigent clients as part of his school’s U.S. Supreme Court Clinic.

Experience

• Litigated and second-chaired international arbitration held in London, UK, on behalf of manufacturer.
• Obtained dismissal of multi-million dollar counterclaims against private equity firm, affiliates and officers.
• Successfully defended against dismissal in trial court and on appeal for technology services client.
• Represented Korean telecommunications company in federal court, including before the Second Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.
• Represented and negotiated favorable outcome for healthcare client in breach action.
• Obtained favorable result for real estate company in a trademark and breach dispute lodged in Virginia federal and state court.
• Represented and obtained favorable result for property management company in breach action in federal court.
• Secured asylum status for client’s son and reunited him with his family after 15 years apart.
• Pursued and conducted all phases of litigation in multiple state and federal actions across the country and against international entities.
• Advises clients on global and local compliance with telecommunications laws and regulations.

Honors

Bob Gerber Pro Bono Award, Sheppard Mullin, 2020

Recommended Lawyer - Telecoms and Broadcast: Regulatory, Legal 500, 2022

Articles

FCC Law Blog Posts

• "Fifth Circuit Pauses Injunction Restricting Communications Between the Government and Social Media Companies Over Content Removal," July 31, 2023

• "D.C. Circuit Allows FCC To Open 6 GHz Band For Unlicensed Use," January 20, 2022
• "D.C. Circuit Hears Challenge To Federal Communications Commission’s 2018 Restoring Internet Freedom Order," February 4, 2019
• "As The “Net Neutrality” World Turns . . . ." November 7, 2018 
• "Back To The Future: FCC Returns To Light Touch Regulation Of The Internet,"  June 13, 2018
• "Lucia Is Likely To Have Little Impact On Waning FCC Adjudications," July 17, 2018 

Trade Secrets Law Blog

• "FTC reviews non-compete agreements: An Update On The Future Of Restrictive Covenants Following The Biden Administration’s Proposed Curtailment and Safeguarding of Proprietary Information," January 3, 2022

• "The China Pivot: Closing the “Back Door” to Trade Secret and IP Theft," January 15, 2021

Publications

• "Distinctions With A Difference: Why Proper Rule 59(e) Motions Should Not Be Subject To 'Second Or Successive' Habeas Analysis," 84 Tennessee Law Review 1, 2016, available at https://tennesseelawreviewdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/distinctions-with-a-difference.pdf

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, "Handling Substantive and Procedural Motions in the District of Columbia," DC Bar, March 9, 2022
• Moderator, “FCBA CLE: The Judicial Year in Review,” Federal Communications Bar Association, June 22, 2023

Events

Memberships

Member, American Bar Association

Member, Virginia State Bar Association

Member, New York State Bar Association

Member, Bar Association of the District of Columbia

Member, Federal Communications Bar Association

Co-Chair, Judicial Practice Committee, Federal Communications Bar Association