To the casual observer, the courtroom and the stage may seem like worlds apart. But for one Tampa attorney, they’ve always been deeply connected. Before he ever thought of writing a brief or arguing a case, Matthew DePasquale was memorizing lines and studying character motivation.
“I wanted to be an actor from a very young age,” he says. “I started acting classes at nine. That was the first place I learned how to connect with someone’s story.”
DePasquale pursued that passion all the way through college, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Central Florida. The plan was simple: graduate, move to Los Angeles and build a career in the entertainment industry. But plans have a way of evolving, especially when purpose starts to call from somewhere else.
While working in the claims department of a health insurance company to save money for the big move out west, he fielded a case just before the holidays involving a father of three battling brain cancer. What started as just another claim became something far more meaningful.
“Hearing his relief and gratitude really stuck with me. Helping his family navigate something so difficult helped me realize I wanted to help more,” he said.
Driven by a desire to serve others and inspired by the example of his own mother, a single parent who taught him the value of giving back, DePasquale decided to go off script and head to law school.
After earning his J.D. from Rutgers Law School, DePasquale found his background in acting and his people-first mindset enhanced his client’s work. Just as he worked to bring a character to life, he collaborates closely with his clients to understand their needs.
In March 2025, he joined Porter Wright’s growing Tampa-area office as a partner serving clients in the areas of business transactions, contracts, commercial and residential real estate transactions and litigation. Getting to know his clients, and their goals, isn’t just a courtesy, it’s essential to providing meaningful support at every stage of their business journey.
“You can’t really help your client without getting to know them,” he explains. “Everybody’s world is so different. You have to understand their experiences and their story, in order to represent them well.”
After working as in-house counsel, DePasquale says the resources of a law firm provide the added benefit to remain client-centric and offer even more services, through his colleagues in the Tampa office and across Porter Wright’s other eight offices. He also works closely with the firm’s associates to provide the same mentorship he received early in his legal career, to help them build a future in law.
In addition to a busy legal career, DePasquale has found his way back to the stage. In 2022, he joined the Board of Directors for Stageworks Theatre, a nonprofit arts organization in Tampa. While supporting the theater with his legal experience, he stepped into the spotlight for the first time in 15 years. He’s performed in several productions and takes part in the theater’s annual “Impromptu Players” charitable production, which features Tampa professionals from all walks of life.
“Being on stage again reminded me how much that part of my life shaped who I am today. It’s allowed me to amplify Stageworks’ message and have my own creative outlet.”
In addition to Stageworks, DePasquale volunteers for a number of other community organizations that support the arts and families in need, including Holiday HOOPS & Arts, the United Way Admiral Society and Gasparilla Bowl.
“My mom worked so hard to support me. The help we received back then is the reason I’m here today. Now, it’s my job to help others who are struggling to make ends meet.”
Outside the office and the theater, he’s a dedicated husband and father of three – another role that’s given him perspective, patience and purpose. Just like his mother, he approaches parenting with a focus on what he says is the first rule of the script: always show up.
“When you’re a parent, you start thinking about the kind of world you want to help shape – not just for your kids, but for everyone’s,” he says.
That’s what motivates him, both in and out of the courtroom: making someone’s day a little easier, clearer or more hopeful. Just like he did that day with a stranger at the other end of a claim’s call.
“Helping people. That’s what it’s all about,” he says. “That’s what made me change careers, and that’s still what drives me every day.”
To learn more about DePasquale and Porter Wright, please visit porterwright.com.
Matt is a partner in the firm’s Corporate Department and focuses his practice on business transactions, contracts, commercial and residential real estate transactions and litigation.
On the transactional side, Matt has experience implementing corporate strategy and negotiating, drafting and revising multi-million-dollar asset purchase agreements, leases, purchase and sale agreements, mortgages, notes, employment contracts, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements and non-disclosure agreements. He also handles intellectual property disputes, drafts terms and conditions, waivers and the development of software as a service (SaaS) from the legal perspective.
Previously serving as in-house general counsel for Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. in Palm Harbor, Florida, Matt continues to serve as outside counsel for several local businesses, guiding them through periods of significant growth. With experience in complex business transactions and litigation, including the defense of multiple class action suits, Matt ensures efficiency in legal costs along the way.