Matthew Charles Cardinale, 43, is an online LLM student in the Animal Law Program; he is an attorney and scholar who currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his two cats, Veronica and a/k/a Hero “Mister Fluffers”.
Cardinale has a BA from Tulane University in Sociology and Political Science (2003); an MA in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine (2005); a Masters in Public Administration from the University of New Orleans (2007); a JD from Gonzaga University (2018); and an LLM in Environmental Law from Lewis & Clark Law School (2024).
Cardinale has won numerous pro se legal victories, including at the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
He currently represents clients in Georgia regarding open records issues involving government agencies. One of these cases involves seeking veterinary records for dogs who were euthanized by Clayton County, Georgia.
In addition, he is the founder and CEO of State and Municipal Action for Results Today / Agenda for Legislative Empowerment and Collaboration (SMART ALEC). And he is the CEO of Atlanta Progressive News, an online news service in publication from 2005 to 2023, currently on hiatus.
Cardinale has drafted numerous model policies, including many that went on to become law. Cardinale has drafted 21 ordinances and resolutions that were introduced and passed by the City of Atlanta, including ordinances regarding transparency, public participation, due process, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform, among others.
Cardinale plans to continue to offer his legal services to the animal rights advocacy community; and also wishes to offer Pet Trust estate planning services as part of his expanded law practice, especially after learning more about Animal Law in the LLM program.