Overview
Matthew E. Ritzman, Ph.D., is an experienced labor and employment attorney. Matthew serves as trusted advisor to human resource and labor relations professionals. He works proactively with clients to develop comprehensive strategies to address emerging workplace challenges to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
Matthew brings a wealth of experience handling administrative investigations, arbitrations and employment litigation matters. Prior to joining Honigman, Matthew represented the National Labor Relations Board, where he led hundreds of investigations and served as lead counsel in numerous successful representations before administrative law judges. Matthew is also skilled at dispute resolution, having negotiated many pre-litigation settlements.
Matthew has an extensive background in education and training. Apart from his legal practice, Matthew serves as an adjunct professor, teaching business law and technology courses. He has published numerous articles in journals and periodicals and is a regular presenter at trainings, seminars and conferences.
While serving in a non-attorney role at the United States Department of Justice, Matthew earned both a Master's degree and Ph.D. in Educational Technology. He frequently writes and lectures on a wide range of topics including effectively handling interpersonal conflict in the workplace, implementing and managing emerging workplace technologies and a variety of other timely legal compliance issues.
Services
Practice Areas
Experience
Prior Experience
- National Labor Relations Board, United States Government, Attorney
- Oakland University, Adjunct Faculty
- Youngstown State University, Adjunct Faculty
- Terra State College, Adjunct Faculty
- American Fed. of Gov. Employees, L. 1741, President
- United States Department of Justice, Drug Treatment Specialist
Credentials
Education
- cum laude
- University of Toledo Law Review, Executive Editor
- Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology
- Educational Technology
Admissions
- Michigan
- Ohio
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
Recognition
Awards
The Younger Federal Lawyer Award, Federal Bar Association, 2024
Professional & Community Involvement
Law360 Editorial Advisory Board, Employment Authority Labor group (2026)
News & Insights
Press Releases
Events
Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) National Conference (2026) - Secure HR: Essential Cyber and Data Protection Practices for Today’s Workplace
Michigan Safety Conference (2026) - Legal Pitfalls and Compliance Strategies: Navigating Employment Law in Workplace Safety Programs
Greater Baltimore Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2026) - The ABCs of Handling Investigations by Administrative Agencies
Ohio State Bar Association (2026) – Fundamentals of Wage & Hour Law
Michigan HR Day Conference (2026) – Information Security Essentials for HR Professionals: Safeguarding Your Organization
Detroit Chapter of Payroll Org (2026) – The Legal Update: New Rules, New Risks, New Realities
Barbri CLE Course (2026) – Department of Labor Rules for Worker Classification
Michigan Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) State Conference (2025) - Information Security Essentials for Human Resource Professionals: How to Safeguard Your Organization.
Institute of Continuing Legal Education (“ICLE”) (2025) - Artificial Intelligence for Litigators
Ohio Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) State Conference (2025) – Cybersecurity: HR as The First Line of Defense
Dulles (Virginia) Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2025) - How AI is Changing HR: Legal Risks, Ethical Challenges, and Practical Solutions.
Northern Virginia Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2025) - Cybersecurity: What HR Professionals Need to Know.
Toledo Human Resource Association Conference (THRAC) (2025) - From Courts to Cubicles: Key Legal Updates Impacting the Workplace.
Anne Arundel (Maryland) Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2025) - The Role of Human Resource Professionals in Information Security.
Alerts
Publications
State of Confusion: How the FLSA is Failing ... and How to Address It, 50 U. Tol. Law Review. 163 (2019).
Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse, and Harassment in Corrections. In Handbook of Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse and Harassment. New York, NY: Springer (2019).
Up in the cloud: Managers, Employees, and Security Training for Cloud Computing. American Journal of Management.17(7) (2017).
What Works: A Systems Approach to Employee Performance in Strengthening Information Security. Performance Improvement (PI) Journal. (55)8. 17-22 (2016).
A Preliminary Study of Human Resource Professionals and Workplace Bullying in Corrections. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research. (8)2. 137-146 (2016).
A Phenomenon We Can’t Ignore: Performance Improvement Interventions to Address Workplace Bullying. Performance Improvement (PI) Journal. (55)1. 14-22 (2016).