Matthew M. Breen

• South Carolina Association for Justice
• South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association
• Charleston County Bar Association
• Horry County Bar Association
• James L. Petigru Inn of Court, Pupil

• Seven Figure Verdict for Premise Liability Case. Won at trial with disputed liability and damages. Client was crushed by 500lb hammer while replacing pilings on dock. , 2024
• High Six Figure Workers' Compensation Settlement with Additional Third-Party Action, 2022
• Obtained Substantial Settlement in Motor Vehicle Accident case where John Doe Driver was driving stolen car, escaped on foot, and left drugs and firearm in stolen vehicle., 2021
• Awarded a Five-Figure Punitive Damage Award in In re Hooks (2:20-ap-80048-dd)., 2020
• Achieved a settlement for Plaintiff that was 10x Plaintiff's Medical bills involving a 6 car pile up on Interstate 95., 2020
• Six Figure Settlement, Premises Liability Case where female client struck dangerous unforseen pothole., 2019
• Won motion to remand back to State Court that reversed Precedent in the District Court for the District of South Carolina., 2019

• Attorney Matthew Breen | South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyer | Lowcountry Law, LLC, Workers' Compensation, Personal Injury, Auto Wrecks, Trucking Accidents, 2022

• Matthews Cooper v. All Freight Carriers, Inc., 2022

• Board of Elders of French Protestant (Huguenot) Church of Charleston, SC., 2020
• Society of the Cincinnati, Member: The Society of the Cincinnati is the nation's oldest patriotic organization, founded in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts who served together in the American Revolution. Its mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of the achievement of American independence and to foster fellowship among its members. Now a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the principles and ideals of its founders, the modern Society maintains its headquarters, library, and museum at Anderson House in Washington, D.C., 2018
• South Carolina Society Solicitor, South Carolina Society Sons of the Revolution, Feb 2017 – Present
• Member, Huguenot Society of South Carolina, Mar 2018 – Present
• Member, Ancient Heraldic and Chivalric Order of Albion, Mar 2018 – Present
• La Société Française de Bienfaisance, Member Membership is available to gentlemen of proven French descent or extraction, of sound mind and body, of good character over the age of eighteen years. The Society continues to support its motto Humanitati by supporting those in need with pensions and recognizing those who have made a significant contribution to the human condition., 2019
• The SAR, the largest male lineage organization in the U.S., consists of 50 societies with more than 550 local chapters, several international societies and over 36,000 members. The SAR is dedicated to assisting our members, schools, teachers and the general public in their efforts to sustain and preserve our history and constitutional principles. I currently serve as President of the the Colonel Lemuel Benton Chapter. Before that I served as Vice President for 1 year, Secretary for 6 years, and Registrar for 2 years. I am also a member of the SCSSAR Board of Governors as the South Carolina Society's Vice President for the Pee Dee Region and Chair of the ROTC/JROTC Committee., 2019
• Solicitor, Sons of the Revolution in the State of South Carolina: The Solicitor serves as legal advisor to the Sons of the Revolution in the State of South Carolina.The Solicitor shall render legal opinions Society matters upon request by the President and shall report on legal matters of concern to the President. He shall perform such duties as provided elsewhere in the Constitution and Bylaws.The Solicitor shall be a licensed attorney-at-law in good standing with the State of South Carolina Bar., 2019

• Since the Million Dollar Advocates Forum was founded in 1993, membership has been based upon strict and objective standards.  Each applicant is required to complete a detailed application demonstrating that he or she has met the basic qualification of having acted as Principal Counsel (as that term is defined in the membership application) in one or more cases which resulted in a final judgment (not subject to appeal or modification), award or settlement in favor of his or her client in the amount of one million dollars or more. Membership invitations are sent only to attorneys who objectively appear to be qualified, including those whose names are proposed for membership from the report of a large case or upon nomination by a current member. Other qualified attorneys may apply for membership., Life Member, Million Dollar Advocate's Forum, 2024
• Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication company in the legal profession. Recognition by Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by their peers. For more than four decades, our publications have earned the respect of the profession, the media and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere. Our lists of outstanding lawyers are compiled by conducting exhaustive peer review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. If the votes for a lawyer are positive enough for recognition by Best Lawyers, that lawyer must maintain those votes in subsequent polls to remain in each edition. Lawyers are not permitted to pay any fee to participate in or be recognized by Best Lawyers., Best Lawyers Ones to Watch - Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation, Best Lawyers, 2023
• The “Young Alumnus of the Year” award recognizes an outstanding achievement, act of humanity, heroic effort, or service to the Nation, City, State or an organization. The action(s) or achievement(s) may be career oriented for special recognition in their field of work or a significant personal achievement within their field. The act(s) of service or humanity must be significant, extraordinary and beyond those normally expected from and individual with similar duties. The award may be based on a single achievement/act or a combination of many. This award is intended to recognize current achievements or acts rather than cumulative performance over many years. Current for the purposes of this award is within the immediate or prior year. Most importantly, this action or achievement must bring honor and credit to the individual(s) awarded and represent The Citadel and its Core Values of Honor, Duty, and Respect in their private and professional life. Any Alumnus/Alumna of the Corps of Cadets, Active Duty, Veteran, or CGC who is within 15 years of their graduation or age 45, whichever comes first, is eligible to receive this award. Furthermore, the candidate must be a member in good standing of The CAA at the time they are nominated for the award. No individual may receive the award more than once. Furthermore, this award should stand alone and may not be combined with the Alumnus of the Year award. This award is presented to recipients at an event held by The CAA during Homecoming Week and recognized in the Alumni News., Young Alumnus of the Year, Citadel Alumni Association, 2021
• Martindale-Hubbell’s Client Champion awards recognize those attorneys who excel at service as affirmed by their clients. The awards, based on the quantity and quality of an attorney’s Martindale-Hubbell client reviews, demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client service., Martindale-Hubbell Gold Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell, 2020
• Martindale-Hubbell’s Client Champion awards recognize those attorneys who excel at service as affirmed by their clients. The awards, based on the quantity and quality of an attorney’s Martindale-Hubbell client reviews, demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client service., Martindale-Hubbell Plantinum Client Champion, Martindale-Hubbell, 2021
• Martindale-Hubbell’s Client Champion awards recognize those attorneys who excel at service as affirmed by their clients. The awards, based on the quantity and quality of an attorney’s Martindale-Hubbell client reviews, demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client service., Martindale-Hubbell Gold Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell, 2019
• Received for excellent client reviews., Martindale-Hubbell Silver Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell, 2019
• CALI Award - International Law
• CALI Award - Constitutional Law II

• BS Biology, The Citadel, 2013
• JD, Charleston School of Law, 2017

• Abstract: Maritime piracy poses a grave threat to global shipping. In the United States, federal law criminalizes piracy as defined by international law, or the law of nations in 18 U.S.C. § 1651. This Article contextualizes how the ebb and flow of the law of nations effects United States domestic law. Recently, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has interpreted the law of nations surrounding piracy through the cases of United States v. Said and United States v. Dire. The upheld convictions concerned the conviction of multiple Somali nationals under the piracy statute. The defendants argued chiefly that piracy requires a robbery, and since no robbery occurred, their convictions should be overturned. Examining two differing approaches by lower District Courts, the Fourth Circuit concluded that piracy does not require robbery because the law of nations evolves with changing international consensus, rather than maintaining a static definition. This consensus stems from international agreements, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, whose definition of piracy lacks a robbery element. Therefore, the court upheld the convictions. The recent litigation concerned not only whether the evolving meaning of piracy under the statute, but also whether its mandatory life sentence provision violated the Eighth Amendment. While one trial court ruled it did, taking cues from the sentences of piracy cases abroad, the Fourth Circuit struck that ruling down and upheld the mandatory life sentence of § 1651. One case still has a certiorari petition pending before the United States Supreme Court. The Author hopes that the Supreme Court will take up the case and rule that the mandatory life sentence is not needed due to the gross disproportionality of the United States sentences compared to those of every other country that convicts modern day pirates. Whatever the outcome, a wave of new doctrines may potentially change the way U.S. courts apply international law through the law of nations provision in 18 U.S.C. § 1651., Writer, From Smith to Said: The Law of Nations as an integral part in the evolution of United States Jurisprudence through 18 U.S.C. § 1651., Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, International Law, Maritime Law, 2016

“Excellent and zealous advocate and attorney for workers compensation claims and injured workers in South Carolina.”

“Matthew Breen is an exceptional attorney. He genuinely cares about his clients and honorably pursues justice on their behalf.”