Experience

&

Qualifications

Experience

Dente Law, P.C. was founded by Matt Dente.   Prior to establishing his firm, Mr. Dente spent the better part of a decade gaining targeted experience in complex civil litigation and, in particular, employment litigation/class actions.  Mr. Dente has served as counsel in dozens of wage and hour class actions, as well as single and multi-plaintiff harassment/discrimination/wrongful termination actions. 

Prior to establishing Dente Law, P.C., Mr. Dente was a Shareholder with Littler Mendelson, P.C., the Nation’s largest law firm focusing exclusively in the area of employment law.  At Littler Mendelson, Mr. Dente was a member of the Firm’s Wage & Hour Practice Group.  Prior to joining Littler Mendelson, Mr. Dente was an Associate at two of the Country’s largest, oldest and most respected firms:  Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton in San Diego, California; and Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr. Dente has extensive experience representing clients in wage and hour class/collective actions brought under both state and federal law.  Mr. Dente has represented clients in state and federal trial courts in California, Texas, Massachusetts, New York, and Michigan, before the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court.  Additionally, Mr. Dente has represented clients in private binding arbitrations, at mediation, and in administrative proceedings before numerous state and federal administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and California’s Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement.

During law school, Mr. Dente Served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Irma Gonzalez, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

For a description of Mr. Dente’s recent successes and current cases, please click here.

Education

Mr. Dente graduated with honors from the University of San Diego in 1999 with two degrees: a B.B.A. in Business Economics and a B.A. in English.  Immediately after college, Mr. Dente was admitted to Boston College Law School.  Mr. Dente earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School in 2002.

Admissions

California
Massachusetts
U.S. District Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
U.S. District Court for California
 

Publications

Ready, Set, Wait – timely tips on the compensability of on-call time, Corporate Counsel Magazine. (August 2009)

The Compensability of Home-to-Work Travel Under the Employee Commuting Flexibility Act, The Employer Relations Law Journal (2007)

Take That To The Bank - California Labor Code Section 212,National Retail Federation Magazine (Spring 2007)

Lecturing and Speaking Engagements

 Mr. Dente has guest lectured for The University of California, at San Diego and San Diego State University in their Human Resources programs regarding the interview and hiring process, and trends in employment litigation.  He has also served as a guest lecturer in employment law at local community colleges.  Mr. Dente has presented training regarding hiring, management, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and complaint investigation procedures. Mr. Dente has also provided presentations regarding workplace privacy issues at national industry group conferences.  Some of the largest law firms in the world have asked Mr. Dente to serve as a guest lecturer in employment law matters.