In 2009, Matt tried two jury trials. McGookin vs. Guidant, tried in Saint Joseph County Court in South Bend, Indiana, with Matt's partner, Robert Adams, resulted in a defense verdict on September 8 after two weeks of trial. The Indiana Court of Appeals recently affirmed the judgment. To read the opinion, please click here.

Matt then tried a second case on behalf of Boston Scientific, Kirkwood vs. Maher, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which resulted in a non-suit for his client at the conclusion of plaintiff's evidence on September 15. Matt's co-counsel in the Kirkwood case was Dean Murtagh of German Gallagher & Murtagh in Philadelphia.

Matt has prepared and defended a number of corporate witnesses in national product liability cases. Since 2005, there have been 20 such witnesses in three different MDL mass tort proceedings, for a total of 38 days of depositions. Two recent articles published by Matt in the area of witness preparation are "Preparing a Witness for a Successful Deposition" (Law360, September 10, 2008) and "8 Simple Rules for Successful Direct Exam" (Law360, May 14, 2009).

On May 26, 2010, Matthew Keenan presented a Webinar on behalf of the IADC on this topic — “Preparing the Corporate Representative for Deposition.”

Matt also joined the distinguished faculty of presenters at the American Conference Institute’s “15th Anniversary Drug & Medical Device Litigation” program held December 7-9, 2010, in New York City, where he discussed "Navigating the Fall-Out from Preemption: Preserving the Defense in Your Device Cases and Developing Strategies for FDA Testimony in Drug Litigation.”

At the 2010 Kansas Bar Convention in Wichita, June 10-11, Matt chaired a roundtable discussion of the State of Civility in the Kansas Bar. Titled “The State of Civility in the Kansas Bar,” Matt’s panel included, among others, Federal Judge John Lungstrum, Federal Magistrate Karen Humphries, and State District Court Judge Kim Schroeder.

At DRI’s 27th Annual Drug and Medical Device Seminar in Chicago in May 2011, Matt hosted a CLE on ethics and professionalism.

At the 2012 Kansas Bar Convention in Overland Park, Matt presented a June 15, 2012, panel on civility and professionalism composed entirely of military veterans, including two attorneys who served the country in WWII, one who served in Korea, and another who had distinguished service in Vietnam.

At the annual Pro Bono Institute Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2012, Matt was a CLE panelist on "Improving Partner Participation in Pro Bono."

He also addressed ethics and civility in his presentation, "Rambo vs. Atticus Finch: In private practice, do nice guys still finish first?," for the June 7, 2013, CLE sponsored by the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas.

While in law school, he was articles editor of the Kansas Law Review and a member of Order of the Coif. He clerked for Judge James K. Logan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He is licensed in three states.

He is married to Lori Hickman Keenan and they have four children.

Matt is the chair of the SHB Pro Bono Committee. The firm's pro bono contributions have been featured in both the Kansas City Star and a recent legal journal, The Pulse. For past issues of the SHB Pro Bono newsletter, please click here.

Cavender vs. Wyeth, Fen-Phen trial (trial counsel) (E.D. Mo.) (Judge Webber) (June 2007).

Weston vs. Wyeth, Fen-Phen trial (trial counsel), Jasper County, Missouri, Defense Verdict (January 23, 2006).

Gaskins vs. Wyeth, Fen-Phen trial, City Circuit, St. Louis (trial counsel) (September 2004).

Cooley vs. Butler County (trial counsel) (U.S.D.C. Kan.) (March 2003)

Citizens State Bank vs. Shearson Lehman Bros (trial counsel), USDC, D. Kan., prosecution of fraud claim on behalf of lender, verdict for client, $736,000 ($236,000 actuals, $500,000 punitives).

Janice Halgren vs. Medical Engineering Corp (trial counsel), USDC, MD. Florida, May 2001, successful defense of breast implant claim, affirmed on appeal June 11, 2003, Docket No. 02-11470, 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals (unpublished).

Matthew D. Keenan, Modesty, Humility, and What We Can Learn from Our Senior Attorneys, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, May 2012, at 11 View

Matthew D. Keenan, The KBA Convention, Civility, and Our Veterans, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, April 2012, at 11 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Co-author, New Healthcare Lien Recovery Theories by Third-Party Payors: Strategies and Tactics for the Defense, Defense Counsel Journal, April 2012, at 140 View

Matthew D. Keenan, The Greatest Generation of Kansas Lawyers – 19 Kansans who served in WW2 and then joined the Kansas bar, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, March 2011, at 17 View

Matthew D. Keenan, One Minute Trial Tip, IADC Trial Techniques and Tactics Committee Newsletter, February 2011, at 9 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Co-author, When to Push for a Determination Under Riegel, Law360, February 2011 View

Matthew D. Keenan, How Nice Guys Finish First, IADC Trial Techniques and Tactics Committee Newsletter, June 2009, at 2; reprinted in Defense Counsel Journal, July 2009 View

Matthew D. Keenan, 8 Simple Rules for a Successful Direct Exam, Law360, May 14, 2009 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Civility, Professionalism, and Good Deeds: The State of the Kansas Bar, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, May 2009, at 9 View

Matthew D. Keenan, A Model of Professionalism: John Carpenter, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, January 2009, at 12 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Lewis Walked into the Unknown and Made a Difference, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, November/December 2008, at 9 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Preparing a Witness for a Successful Deposition, Law360, September 2008 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Ten Commandments of Civility, Kansas Bar Association Annual Meeting, June 2008 View

Matthew D. Keenan, A More Potent Defense for Drug Manufacturers, For The Defense, May 2006, at 56 View

Matthew D. Keenan, We Knew the Real Killer Before the First Commercial Break, The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, May 2006, at 9 View

Matthew D. Keenan, Co-author, Ex-Parte Communications By Counsel with Existing and Former Employees of Adverse Party, Kansas Bar Association Journal, 1989

Matthew D. Keenan, New Hampshire v. Piper, New Constitutional And Statutory Rules Governing Bar Admission, Kansas Bar Association Journal, 1986

Matthew D. Keenan, Discovery Sanctions in a Jurisdictional Context, 32 Kansas Law Review 471 (1984)

Matthew D. Keenan, The Kansas Drunk Driving Law: A Closer Look, 31 Kansas Law Review 409 (1983)

Memberships

International Association of Defense Counsel

Kansas Bar Association

The Missouri Bar

The State Bar of Texas

AV rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2013, The Best Lawyers in America

2012, Outstanding Service Award to the Kansas Bar

2010, The Legal 500 United States

2007-2012, Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer

1981 recipient, “Agnes Wright Strickland Award,” recognizing students’ academic, volunteer and leadership accomplishments during their time at KU.

Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout

Matt is admitted to practice before the state courts of Missouri, Kansas and Texas; the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the United States.

1984   J.D., University of Kansas School of Law

1981   B.A., University of Kansas

Award-winning Columnist, Kansas City Star, 1999 to present

Monthly Columnist, Kansas Bar Journal, 2005 to present

Member, Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Committee (3rd Congressional District)