Skip to Content

Matt Sawchak Appointed Solicitor General of North Carolina


Matthew W. Sawchak

Ellis & Winters LLP is pleased to announce that Attorney General Josh Stein has appointed Matt Sawchak as the next Solicitor General of North Carolina. 

The Solicitor General leads the representation of the State of North Carolina in civil appeals. He argues select appeals and oversees the presentation of others. Mr. Sawchak plans to begin his government service within the next few months.

Mr. Sawchak’s appointment highlights Ellis & Winters’s deep experience in appeals and in government-related litigation. In recent years, multiple lawyers in the firm, including Paul SunJon SasserJon BerkelhammerTom Segars, Stephen Feldman, and Mr. Sawchak, have handled significant appeals in the federal and North Carolina courts. Likewise, the firm has represented multiple litigants in controversies with government agencies—as well as a number of government agencies themselves.

“Matt’s appointment as Solicitor General shows our commitment to public service, as well as our extensive experience in appeals,” said Leslie Packer, the managing partner of Ellis & Winters. “His appointment is an honor for our entire firm.”

“I’m honored to have this opportunity to serve the people of North Carolina,” Mr. Sawchak said. “I look forward to joining with Attorney General Stein and many other talented colleagues in public service.”

Mr. Sawchak has more than 25 years of experience as an appellate lawyer. The North Carolina State Bar has named him as a board-certified specialist in appellate practice. He has chaired the North Carolina Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee, which makes recommendations to the North Carolina Supreme Court on issues of appellate procedure.

Mr. Sawchak is a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Best Lawyers has twice named him as a Lawyer of the Year in appellate practice. He is profiled as a Litigation Star in the current edition of Benchmark Litigation.  He also appears in the current editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, North Carolina SuperLawyers, and Best Lawyers.  

Mr. Sawchak graduated with honors from Harvard University, where he was a National Merit Scholar.  He earned his J.D. and LL.M. with honors from Duke Law School, where he was the editor-in-chief of the Duke Law Journal. 

Mr. Sawchak clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas when Justice Thomas served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  Before his judicial clerkship, he clerked in the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States.

January 18, 2017 Paul K. Sun, Jr. Jonathan D. Sasser Jonathan A. Berkelhammer Thomas H. Segars Leslie C. Packer
Posted in  General