Principled Advocacy For Families And Individuals With Disabilities And The Professionals Who Serve Them

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Matthew R. Davison

  • Attorney

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Biography

Mr. Davison regularly handles legal matters involving mental health law and confidentiality, contested estates and guardianships, as well as complex litigation arising from the administration of estates and trusts.

Mr. Davison previously served as staff attorney for Legal Advocacy Service, a division of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. At that position, he litigated hundreds of trials for recipients in cases arising out of petitions for involuntary admission and petitions for the administration of authorized involuntary treatment. He is also a member of the federal trial bar (Northern District of Illinois) and is admitted to practice before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Davison’s trial experience includes both bench and jury trials. Moreover, he has maintained an active appellate practice throughout the state and has briefed arguments in every appellate district in Illinois. He served as lead attorney and advocate in a health law matter before the Illinois Supreme Court. Mr. Davison has also authored amicus curiae briefs in cases involving critical health care rights.

Mr. Davison has previously served as Chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association’s Mental Health and Disability Law Committee and organized over a dozen education seminars on issues at the intersection of behavioral health and the law. He has presented at over two dozen legal seminars for attorneys and judges on topics ranging from confidentiality law to proper trial techniques. In addition to this work, he has also served on various local and state committees focused on mental health equity and policy reforms. In 2020, NAMI Chicago awarded Mr. Davison its “Light the Darkness” award for his community advocacy.

In addition to his service among bar associations and related groups, Mr. Davison has also drafted and assisted in the enactment of new state laws in Illinois. His legislative work in the health law sector includes developing and maintaining relationships with various stakeholders who share a common interest in improving our health care and our access to it.

Mr. Davison attended Virginia Wesleyan College for his undergraduate degree and went on to receive his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School (now UIC School of Law). In 2022, Mr. Davison obtained an M.A. from the Naval Postgraduate School in conjunction with the Center for Homeland Defense and Security wherein he received both the “outstanding thesis” award and the “Curtis Straub” award for academic excellence. Mr. Davison is currently part of the adjunct faculty at UIC School of Law and teaches in its Lawyering Skills Department. His courses focus on general legal writing as well as drafting techniques for civil litigation.

Practice Areas

  • Guardianship
  • Probate (Contested Estates and Trusts)
  • Mental Health & Confidentiality Law
  • Civil Litigation and Appeals

Education

  • UIC School of Law, Chicago, IL
    • Juris Doctor – 2010
  • Naval Postgraduate School – CHDS, Monterey, CA
    • Master’s Degree, Security Studies (with distinction) – 2022
    • Honors: Outstanding Thesis Award, Curtis “Butch” Straub Award for Academic Excellence
  • Virginia Wesleyan College, Norfolk, VA
    • Bachelor’s Degree -2005

Bar Admission

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit

Publications

  • Navigating a New (and Confusing) Law for Access to Mental Health Records, Illinois State Bar Association, Mental Health Matters (2024).
  • No Ordinary Process: How Illinois Courts Are Using Remote Video Technology for Mental-Health Trials During a Pandemic and Why They Must Change, 30 Annals Health L. 137 (2021).
  • Recognizing and Respecting the Limitations of Emergency Medications, Illinois State Bar Association, Mental Health Matters (2018).
  • Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Guardianship for Adults with Disabilities, Chapter 7, “Advance Directives and Surrogate Decision Making” Co-Author (2018).
  • Limiting the general: How practitioners can (and should) use the ejusdem generis rule of construction in everyday practice, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Practice and Procedure (2018).
  • A Resolution for 2017: Giving serious consideration to outpatient treatment, Illinois State Bar Association, Mental Health Matters, February 2017, Vol. 3, No. 3, pgs. 5-6 (2017).
  • McWilliams v. Dunn: An Unseemly Maneuver or a Necessary Compromise?, Illinois State Bar Association, Mental Health Matters, September, 2017, Vol. 4, No. 1, pgs. 8-10 (2017).
  • A final court's not-so-final words, Illinois State Bar Association, Mental Health Matters, June, 2017, Vol. 3, No. 4, pgs. 1-3 (2017).
  • Understanding the Role and Application of the Dead Man’s Act in Disputed Estates and Trusts, Lake County Docket, January 2017, pgs. 12-14.
  • Dissecting Affidavits Under Supreme Court Rule 191(a), Lake County Docket, November 2014, pgs. 22-24.
  • Five Fun Finality Problems (Plus One)*, Co-author, Lake County Docket, June 2012, pgs. 19-22.
  • Mind Over Matter: Common Mistakes Attorneys Make When Seeking Mental Health Records in Litigation, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 112, pg. 30 (Co-Author) (Nov. 2024).

Professional Associations

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • DuPage County Bar Association
  • Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys
  • Seventh Circuit Bar Association

Awards and recognition

  • Naval Postgraduate School, Curtis Straub Award for Academic Excellence and Classroom Leadership (2022)
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Chicago, “Light the Darkness” 2020 Award Recipient for Community Advocacy
  • Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Star” Award (2016, 2017, 2018)