Matt Kugizaki (he/him) is the Director of Pro Bono at Public Counsel, where he leads efforts to build and strengthen partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and volunteers to expand access to justice and respond to unmet legal needs. His work focuses on building collaborative pro bono initiatives that advance civil rights and racial and economic justice.
Prior to joining Public Counsel, Matt served as Pro Bono Director at Inland Counties Legal Services, where he led the transformation and expansion of the organization’s pro bono program. He built an extensive network of law firm, corporate, and community partners and helped launch programs addressing a wide range of legal issues facing Inland Southern California, including small business and nonprofit development, immigration rights, food insecurity, LGBTQ+ justice, health equity, children and families, reentry and record clearing, and disaster resilience. In this role, he brought together the expertise and resources of the private bar, legal services organizations, and community partners to develop sustainable responses to unmet legal needs.
Before entering legal aid, Matt practiced for nearly a decade as a civil litigator at law firms including Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Loeb & Loeb LLP, representing companies, nonprofit organizations, and individuals in complex corporate disputes. He also maintained an active pro bono practice, volunteering hundreds of hours on matters involving impact litigation, housing, public benefits, and other civil legal needs.
Matt is active in statewide and national efforts to strengthen pro bono and expand access to justice. He holds leadership roles with Pando and the California Access to Justice Commission’s Pro Bono Coordinating Committee, and he is a founding board member of the Pride Bar Association of the Inland Empire. He regularly speaks on building effective and sustainable pro bono programs, engaging the private bar, and addressing access to justice challenges in legal deserts and underresourced communities, including at the Equal Justice Conference, Pando Pro Bono Leadership Summit, OneJustice Pro Bono Conference, and State Bar convenings.
Matt received his B.S. and M.S. in Statistics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
