Matthew P. Stone

Partner

Matt was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1985 and his law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 1988. He is admitted to practice law in state and federal trial and appellate courts in California and Georgia and the Supreme Court of the United States. He has earned an AV-Preeminent (highest) peer rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of the State Bars of Georgia and California.

He began his career in private practice in Los Angeles. He moved to Georgia in 1992 and served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia from 1992 to 1995. Matt returned to private practice in 1995 and built his practice as a partner with two respected firms before starting Stone Kalfus on January 1, 2018.

Matt's practice focuses on resolving motor vehicle liability claims against companies, drivers, and insurers in the transportation industry. He represents motor carriers, specialty haulers, bus lines and motor coaches, waste haulers, mobile crane companies, and emergency and non-emergency medical transportation providers. He has extensive experience handling claims from the on-scene investigation through trial and appeals.

He has been named in Best Lawyers for Transportation Law (Georgia Edition) and a "Top Rated Lawyer" in Transportation by Corporate Counsel, The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, and The Daily Report; and he has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Transportation Law, America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, and America's Most Honored Lawyers – Top 1%.

Matt also represents automobile dealerships in litigation, consumer, and regulatory matters. He served as lead defense counsel for the dealership defendant in Melton v. General Motors, et al., the landmark case involving a defective ignition switch that led to GM's recall of more than two million vehicles, a Congressional inquiry into GM's conduct, and record-breaking civil penalties levied against GM by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA).

He has tried cases in all of Georgia's federal judicial districts and many of Georgia's 49 judicial circuits, and he has represented clients in more than 75 appeals to the state and federal appellate courts in Georgia.

Matt is a member of top industry-specific groups, including the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA), the Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA), the Georgia Motor Trucking Association (GMTA), the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA), the National Association of Dealer Counsel (NADC), and the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA).  He is one of two attorneys in the United States who is approved as an instructor for the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI), which provides internationally-recognized, university-affiliated professional certification and training for truck, bus, and transit fleet professionals.

Matt married his college sweetheart, Lisa, and they have three grown and successful children.