Matthew M. Lear

Senior Counsel | Fresno

mlear@lozanosmith.com
Tel: 559.431.5600
Fax: 559.261.9366
Vcard   | Bio

Overview

Matthew M. Lear is Senior Counsel in Lozano Smith's Fresno Office. Mr. Lear represents public agency clients in a variety of matters, including litigation and general counsel to local governments.

Experience

Mr. Lear serves as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Clovis and Deputy County Counsel for the County of Madera. Through his roles as counsel for local municipalities, Mr. Lear has extensive experience in code enforcement matters, both administratively and through criminal prosecution. He also specializes in litigation, writs of habeas corpus, conflict of interest issues, Public Records Act requests, drafting ordinances, and land use and CEQA issues. Mr. Lear has also successfully navigated local municipalities through the receivership process to abate substandard and dangerous properties within their communities.

Prior to joining Lozano Smith, Mr. Lear represented clients in a variety of criminal and civil litigation matters, including contract and real property disputes, quiet title actions, and fraud cases. He is experienced in drafting pleadings and various motions including, class action complaints, answers, motions for summary judgment and motions to compel discovery.

Education

Mr. Lear earned his J.D. degree from the San Joaquin College of Law. He received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Episode 72 Getting Street Smart About Street Vendors

By: Matthew LearMichael Jackson II-

California's vibrant food cultures and many days of sunshine means you have probably seen an individual selling food and goods from a sidewalk or street cart. However, this entrepreneurship led to many debates about whether certain neighborhoods should be off-limits to street (or sidewalk) vendors, how many to allow, and whether brick-and-mortar businesses needed to give permission for these carts to operate nearby. Thanks to new laws enacted in the past five years, local governments now have some answers on how they can and can't limit these activities. Lozano Smith attorneys Matthew M. Lear and Jack Jackson II join co-host Josh Whiteside as they cover the new laws and consider practical ways for local municipalities to interact with these vibrant vendors.