Matthew D. Kaplan

Founder, Kaplan Law, LLC  |  Portland, Oregon

(503) 226-3844  |  mdkaplanlaw.com  |  50 SW Pine Street, Suite 302, Portland, OR 97204

Licensed in Oregon and Washington since 1998  |  Nearly 30 Years of Trial Experience

What Sets This Practice Apart

Matthew Kaplan does not take every case. He takes the hard ones.

Since opening Kaplan Law, LLC in Portland in 2003, Matthew has built his practice around a single focus: serious personal injury and wrongful death cases where the injured person or their family is facing an insurance company, a large corporation, or a government entity with far greater resources. He advances all costs, charges no fee unless he wins, and tries cases when insurers refuse to pay what a case is worth.

That approach has produced some of the largest personal injury verdicts and settlements in Oregon across product liability, civil rights, industrial accidents, motorcycle crashes, and wrongful death. The results below are not the exception. They are the standard Matthew holds himself to in every case he accepts.

Selected Results

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Results depend on the facts of each case.

•      $11,193,176 jury verdict:  Consumer product liability. A defective wood planer sold to the general public at a big-box hardware store caused amputation injury. Matthew took the case to trial, and the Oregon jury returned one of the largest product liability verdicts in state history.

•      $6,000,000 settlement: Oregon workplace hydrogen explosion. Catastrophic injuries. Matthew pursued a third-party industrial accident claim against multiple defendants involved in the planning and use of a hydrogen generator, recovering full damages, including pain and suffering that workers' comp does not cover.

•      $5,000,000 settlement: Jed Hawk Myers v. Yamhill County. Civil rights wrongful death claim under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. The Yamhill County jail was deliberately indifferent to a seriously ill detainee, causing his death. One of the largest civil rights settlements against an Oregon county jail on record.

•      $3,400,000 settlement:  Wrongful death arising from alcohol withdrawal medical neglect in an Oregon county jail. A preventable death; a family that deserved accountability.

•      $1,600,000 settlement: Seriously injured Oregon motorcyclist. Full recovery was obtained by navigating complex liability and insurance coverage issues.

•      Multiple additional seven-figure results:  Spinal cord injury, amputation, and wrongful death cases arising from car crashes, trucking collisions, bicycle accidents, dog attacks, and defective products throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Recognition: 15 Consecutive Years as an Oregon Super Lawyer

Super Lawyers selects the top 5% of attorneys in each state through a peer-nominated, independently research-driven process that cannot be purchased. Matthew has been selected every year from 2012 through 2026, a span of 15 consecutive years, and was named a Rising Star in 2010 before full eligibility.

That sustained recognition reflects something more meaningful than a single strong year. It reflects 15 years of peers in the Oregon legal community consistently identifying Matthew as one of the top personal injury attorneys in the state.

Additional Credentials

•      Avvo 10.0 Superb Rating: The highest rating Avvo awards, reflecting exceptional credentials, peer endorsements, and client reviews.

•      Justia 10.0 Rating: The highest rating on one of the most widely cited legal directories by Google and AI search engines.

•      AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell: Sustained for many years. The highest tier in the profession's oldest peer review system, requiring an average score of 4.5 or higher from fellow attorneys and the judiciary on both legal ability and ethical standards.

•      Highest Ethical Standing:  Affirmed across Avvo, Justia, and Martindale-Hubbell continuously for many years through anonymous peer review.

Practice Focus

Kaplan Law, LLC accepts serious injury and wrongful death cases in Oregon and Southwest Washington involving permanent or catastrophic harm. Practice areas include car accidents, motorcycle crashes, trucking collisions, defective and dangerous products, industrial and workplace accidents, wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, amputations, severe burns, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, dog attacks, drunk driving and dram shop claims, Uber and Lyft accidents, jail medical neglect and civil rights, injuries to children, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, and TriMet pedestrian and cyclist injuries.

What Peers Say

"Matt is an innovative and capable attorney who is ready to advance the cause of his clients in an ethical, civil yet aggressive fashion."

"Matt is tough, smart attorney who has amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding personal injury litigation. He uses this knowledge and experience on a daily basis to advance his clients' cases and to fight for their interests."

"When asked by friends, family or clients for the name of a personal injury lawyer, I rely on Matthew Kaplan. He is the best you can find."

Source: Super Lawyers peer endorsements from the annual Oregon nomination process.

Education and Admissions

J.D., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, 1996. B.A. in History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1993 (Cum Laude). Licensed in Oregon since 1998 and in Washington since 2011. Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Member, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association; American Association for Justice.

Contact Kaplan Law, LLC

50 SW Pine Street, Suite 302, Portland, Oregon 97204  |  One block from the SW Oak Street MAX stop

(503) 226-3844  |  mdkaplanlaw.com  |Oregoninjurylawyerblog.com|  Free consultation  |  No fee unless we win