Matthew Vodnoy is uniquely qualified to be a LA County Superior Court Judge, with experience as both a Deputy District Attorney and now as a criminal defense attorney.
The son of a successful Los Angeles defense attorney, Matthew grew up surrounded by the law. After graduating from CSU San Diego with a degree in history, he took a few “gap years” before enrolling in law school at the University of Denver.
While in law school, Matthew spent summers clerking in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and then the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and participated in every moot court competition available. Matthew Vodnoy: “What was lacking during this period was the understanding of the impact on humanity through the court system. Law school gave me opportunities to explore the tools afforded by the law, but not how meaningful the outcome of the court process is to each person who is a party to litigation.”
After being admitted to the CA Bar in 2003, he worked in civil law before joining the District Attorney’s office in 2005.
For more than fourteen years Matthew served the County of Los Angeles as a Deputy District Attorney. His work as a Prosecutor included jury trials, juvenile court, and twelve years in a felony trial assignment. He prosecuted serious cases including robberies, assault with a deadly weapon, first degree murder, and cases with gang allegations. He has completed 54 jury trials, the majority for felony cases.
The training Matthew received in his career as a prosecutor was invaluable. But something had changed. He had come to see justice differently. So he made the decision to leave the DA’s office. Since July of 2019, he has been almost exclusively representing criminal defendants in Southern California. Following the lessons he learned from his father, Vodnoy represents clients with the understanding that everyone deserves to be treated fairly, humanely and have their constitutional rights protected.
Matthew Vodnoy is also committed to giving back to the community. While a DDA, he volunteered for Project LEAD, working with students from Elysian Elementary School. He was previously an elected member of the Mar Vista Community Council. He serves on the Board of the Criminal Court Bar Association and is a founder of the Westside Prosecutors Association.
A busy father of four boys, Matthew makes time to be an assistant coach of the local T-ball team. Matthew and his family live in the San Fernando Valley.
