Mateo Forero is an Associate with Holtzman Vogel, focusing his practice in the areas of campaign finance, election law, government ethics, lobbying disclosure, and tax-exempt issues. He provides counsel to businesses, trade associations, and political committees on compliance matters under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, federal and state gift rules, FEC regulations, and state election laws. Mateo also represents organizations and government entities on litigation matters ranging from redistricting and the Voting Rights Act, the First Amendment, and election contests and appeals.

Prior to joining the firm, Mateo served as Deputy Ethics Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he advised senior Department officials and VA employees nationwide on issues arising from the Executive Branch Standards of Conduct, the Hatch Act, and federal financial disclosure requirements. Previously, he served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of Labor and provided counsel on major rulemakings and advisory opinions arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act. Before that, Mateo was an attorney at a nationally recognized law firm, where he counseled Fortune 500 companies and political organizations on federal and state campaign finance and election law, government ethics, lobbying, and nonprofit taxation.

Clerkship/Government Experience
  • Deputy Ethics Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Labor (Wage & Hour Division)
  • Counseled PACs and party committees during the 2022 midterm elections on reporting and disclaimer requirements arising from various paid advertisement efforts.
  • Advised a non-profit organization conducting a nationwide grassroots advocacy campaign on compliance with state, county, and municipal lobbying regulations.
  • Represented a candidate for legislative office in a court challenge over the board of elections' denial of her ballot access petition.
  • Provided guidance to a public charity producing digital content on compliance with the IRS's restrictions on political activity by tax exempt organizations.
  • Counseled a corporate entity on seeking dismissal of an FEC complaint filed against it for alleged violations of federal campaign finance law. 
  • Assisted a trade association in planning a major, multi-day policy conference that abided by the congressional and executive branch gift rules.
  • Represented a federal executive branch employee in a whistleblower complaint against his agency for discrimination on the basis of political affiliation.
  • Defended a local government entity in a major Voting Rights Act lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice over its adoption of a new district map. 
  • Co-authored a petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking reversal of a defendant's criminal conviction on constitutional grounds.
  • Sight Savers America, Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Federalist Society, Member
  • Republican National Lawyers Association, Member
  • Alliance Defending Freedom’s Young Lawyers Academy, Member
  • “Combatting Ageism in Maryland and Beyond: An Exploration of Federal and State Workplace Anti-Discrimination Laws,” 2019:3 Maryland Bar Journal 106 (2019) (co-authored with Gregg Greenberg).
  • “Drawing the Line for Democratic Choice: How the Petition Clause can Restore a Citizen’s Right to Participate in Commission-Driven Redistricting,” 5 Ind. J.L. & Soc. Equality 75 (2016).
  • “In the Shadow of the Supremacy Clause: How a ‘Logical Contradiction’ Test Can Resolve the Debate over Legislative History in FIFRA Preemption,” 43 Rutgers L. Rec. 184 (2016) (awarded Best Paper in Legislation and Regulation Seminar).
  • “Distorting Access to Government: How Lobbying Disclosure Laws Breach a Core Value of the Petition Clause,” 67 Ala. L. Rev. 327 (2015) (selected Best Student Note by law school faculty and the Alabama Law Review).

Related Practice Areas
  • University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., with Certificate in Government Affairs
    • Alabama Law Review (Acquisitions Editor, Vol. 67; Junior Editor, Vol. 66)
    • John A. Campbell Moot Court Board
    • National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Team
    • Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Team
  • The George Washington University, B.A., International Affairs
  • Alabama Bar
  • Maryland Bar
  • District of Columbia Bar
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
Mateo Forero