Matt Fernandes joined Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld in 2024 as an associate in the Emeryville office after clerking for the firm as a Peggy Browning Fellow in 2022 and 2023. Mr. Fernandes represents unions and workers in a variety of labor and employment law matters. His practice focuses on employee benefit trust funds, public contracting and prevailing wage cases, state and local policy work, and counseling and representing unions and union members on a variety of litigation matters.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Fernandes earned his A.A. in Political Science from Napa Valley College and his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with High Distinction. Mr. Fernandes was first introduced to the labor movement through a summer organizing internship with SEIU Local 1021 where he worked on their gig workers campaign. He also worked as a Program Assistant with the West Oakland Job Resource Center, where he provided direct services to formerly incarcerated clients, working with local building trades unions to facilitate their transition to meaningful, full-time, union employment. Mr. Fernandes also worked with the Oakland Education Association to support their 2019 teachers’ strike.

While in law school, Mr. Fernandes was a recipient of the Brian Lewinstein Social Justice Scholarship. He also served as Co-President of the Berkeley Asian Pacific American Law Students Association; Articles Editor for the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law; organizer for Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine; and Director of Public Interest for the National Asian Pacific Law Students Association. Additionally, Mr. Fernandes spent two semesters externing in Public Defender Offices in Richmond and Vallejo.

Mr. Fernandes is the proud adopted father of Brenda, a former shelter pitbull, and is licensed to practice law in California.