Stafford Scott Matthews
Office Managing Partner
Stafford Matthews is a technology transaction and intellectual property lawyer, as well as the managing partner of the Silicon Valley office of the global law firm, Dentons. He is the US co-chair of Dentons Global Technology Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Sector, Global co-chair of the Firm's Chemical Industries Subsector, and has been recognized by the US Legal 500 in Venture Capital and Emerging Companies and as a BTI Client Services All-Star in the field of Competition and Antitrust Law. Mr. Matthews is dual qualified as an English solicitor and a US lawyer, and has extensive experience in both European and Asian markets. He represents technology and industrial companies worldwide in complex contract negotiations; strategic development and the licensing and exploitation of intellectual property and products; litigation and arbitration of contentious contract disputes; the implementation and use of blockchain and smart contract systems; transactional antitrust and competition law matters in the US and the EU; and the negotiation of cross border alliances and joint development ventures. Mr. Matthews has an AB in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley and also holds degrees from the University of Michigan Law School and Kings College London, where he holds a postgraduate diploma in European Union Competition Law. Mr. Matthews speaks and writes extensively on current legal issues, including the integration of law and technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and smart contracts. He served as the chairman of the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California in 2010 and is an adjunct lecturer in technology for the Cornell Law School Tech Centre graduate program in New York, New York. Mr. Matthews is also a recipient of the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, awarded by the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California.
Jess Bressi
Senior Counsel
Jess Bressi is partner and senior counsel at Dentons, managing the operations of the office and spearheads plans for the office's strategic growth. His practice involves business and lending litigation; secured transactions involving real property; loan sales; financial remedies; workouts and loan restructuring; and bankruptcy. Mr. Bressi graduated from California State University at Northridge with a BS in Business Administration and Finance. He earned his J.D. from Southwestern University, where he was part of the Moot Court Honor program. Throughout his career, Mr. Bressi has represented and led many cases that have garnered huge recoveries for his clients. To name a few, he was lead counsel for mezzanine lender in US$450 million CMBS loan modification resulting in payment in full of the most junior lender in underwater project; represented the National Hotel Company’s Timeshare Division in successfully resolving through reformation over 2,000 defective grant deeds improperly recorded in favor of purchasers of timeshare interests in very high end project; and was lead lawyer for receiver in successful sale by receiver of hotel, conference center, and related improvements. Mr. Bressi was awarded the 2012 Peter M. Elliott Award by the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum for his substantial knowledge of bankruptcy law, highest level of honesty, integrity, and ethics, serving to enhance and improve access to justice, and serving as a mentor and educator to others. He has a Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating and has been named a Super Lawyer. Mr. Bressi has been a speaker and moderator at multiple bar associate events as well as many other organizations. He has also authored and co-authored multiple chapters in continuing legal educations books, including for CEB.
