Law Offices of Matthew J Ruff

I just wanted to provide an update to my last review. As of earlier today, my legal issue has been fully resolved and the favorable outcome received was exactly what Matt said it would be. Again, I cannot sing enough praise for Matt, who was a pleasure to work with during this entire process. His professionalism and attention to detail are second to none. Additionally, the very reasonable rate he quoted me when I first contacted him was the exact rate he charged me upon resolution of my issue. No bait-​and-​switch. No last minute «contingency» that required additional cost. And absolutely no hidden fees. As I mentioned before, I do not live in California so being kept up to date from beginning to end (without needing to travel to California at all) mattered a lot to me. Again, Matt didn’t cease to impress in that regard either. He kept me in the loop and was extremely flexible in his response to a last minute issue with the court date. All in all, if you need legal advice or representation in the L.A. area, Matt Ruff should be your first call. Even if he isn’t, after speaking with him I guarantee he will be your last. Thanks for everything Matt!

Mathew Ruff is hands down the best attorney. I would refer him to any of friend or family member. He is great, his consultation led to reduction of charges and ultimately clearing my name. I was stressed out when first arrived. Employment in my profession requires a clean record, a misdemeanor could potentially cause the loss of that job. I was relieved during our first meeting, hearing how successful Mathew Ruff has been with cases such as mine during his extensive career as a criminal defense attorney. The best part was the expediency of the whole processes. Sparing my time in court, didn’t have to miss work, everything was taken care of within 2 months… I couldn’t be happier. Thank you Mr Ruff, you transformed what I thought was a nightmare into a small bump in the road.

All I can say is, AMAZING! This attorney is one you definitely want in your corner. His expertise in criminal law are superb and I could have not made a better decision in choosing an attorney to represent my DV case. From day one, Matthew put me at ease during a time I felt the world was coming down on me. As a 13 year vet, I had a ton to lose, but Matthew assured me that he would do everything possible to reduce my consequences; AND HE DID! This man was by my side 120% of the time, never missing a court hearing. Through opposing hearings on the people’s side, Matthew fought to protect my freedom. Had I elected another defense attorney, I would of risked my freedom, and probably be behind bars. With my serious, 5 different counts, I was looking at easily 1 year in jail. Matthew got me «0» days in jail, and just some basic anger management classes. Today, 4÷20÷15, Matthew once again bended himself backwards to fully expunge my record. I could not be any more satisfied with the outcome to my case, and look forward to living my life with this event behind me. Matthew, you my friend, have done an AMAZING job. I could not thank you enough for all that you’ve done, and I assure you that I will recommend your services to anyone I know dealing with any criminal offense; cause I know they’ll be in great hands. Keep fighting for us!

Matt was great… he was professional, precise and fast on what was needed to conclude my case. I would definitely recommend him!

I contacted Mr. Ruff with some legal questionsI had with a personal matter. Not only did he take the time with me but answered my questions within 30 minutes I had a better understanding as to my legal stand and also had his directions to follow up on. Not long after I hung up with Mr. Ruff I received an email from him with more information that I was going to need. I gave Mr. Ruff 5 stars because of how impressed I was with his knowledge of the law, his patience, his professionalism, and his follow through. He did all of this without asking me for anything. In my opinion this is the kind of professionalism that is a lost art.

I contacted Mr. Ruff with some legal questions I had that had to do with a personal matter. After 30 minutes on the phone with him I had a much better understanding as to my legal stand and also had his directions to follow up on. Short after the call I received an email from him with more information that I was going to need.
I gave Mr. Ruff 5 stars because of how impressed I was with his knowledge of the law, his patience, his professionalism, and his follow through.

I hired Matthew Ruff in May 2013. I travel frequently for work & at the time of the citation, I had a out-​of-​state residence, and needed local CA resource that I could depend on while I was away weekly.
After retaining his services, we were in constant «Real-​Time» Communication for any and all information regarding my case. If we were not able to speak Real-​Time, he always provided options for when we could speak, and/​or timelines for any deliverables.
Throughout the duration of my case, I was not asked to make any court appearances, nor adjusted my work schedule to accommodate any meetings.
After a year of Hard Work, and discussions with the DA, Matthew Ruff was able to provide me with THE BEST possible outcome for my case, and provided me with online resources to complete any requirements to satisfy the court after the case closed.
To date, I have not had the pleasure of meeting him. I have only corresponded with him via email/​phone.
I highly recommend his services to anyone! He is dependable, reliable, and most of all capable of great works!
Thank You Matt!!! My Warmest Aloha to you and your family!!! Mahalo Nui Loa!
–Daryl

I have hired Matthew Ruff in a number of cases of the past few years and I have to say, I don’t know what I would have done without him.
His performance and delivery in and out of the courtroom was nothing short of miraculous in my eyes.
First of all, the gentleman is well over 6’3 — his presence is definitely noticed in the courtroom. He knows all the key players in the courtrooms whether that be the DA, the judge, and his twenty years of experience is very noticeable.
I had some pretty serious cases and Matthew has managed to help me get them dismissed of squashed down to petty offences.
I will never forget one time when he facilitated and mediated a private conversation between the DA and me. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t know that many lawyers that have that much pull in the courtroom,
When Mr. Ruff walks into the courtroom he is friendly, well mannered, strategic, charismatic and of course greatly influential and convincing,
He believes in his clients and he will do whatever it takes to make sure they are properly defended and taken care of.
I have a couple of pending cases even today that I have to deal with– but with Matthew at my side, I am confident it will be resolved in a decent manner.

I just wanted to express my frustration at the fact that I took the time to write a good review for someone who deserved much more than that, and it was filtered by Unilocal.I also noticed that of the 10 reviews Matt Ruff received, 9 were filtered and the one that remains is the ONLY negative review. That’s wrong. I’d hate to think that this process that’s meant to keep Unilocal reviews authentic and trustworthy could be causing a person who does a 5 star job to lose business because he appears to have a 1 star rating. I understand the intent behind the filter. However, I don’t think I can trust the Unilocal reviews anymore, knowing that my own valid review had been filtered. I’m very disappointed.

I hired Attorney Matthew Ruff in February, 2010 to handle a bogus assault case filed by a disgruntled ex-​girlfriend who was also a coworker. Because of my prior criminal record from 20 years ago, the DA filed the case under the three strikes statute and was attempting to bury me with a Criminal Threats charge as well. Mr. Ruff told me in the initial interview that he was very familiar with the judge handling my case and that she was very fair.
Once Mr. Ruff came aboard, he repeatedly ignored my evidence submissions which showed the alleged victim was faking injuries in order to collect disability insurance and take months off work. Additionally, the alleged victim was running a business while she was «recuperating» from her injuries. When presented with this evidence, Mr. Ruff indicated that he wouldn’t bring it up during the trial because he didn’t want to appear to be picking on a female victim and he didn’t want to get on the judge’s bad side.
During the trial, the alleged victim perjured herself several times and I had given Mr. Ruff the legal proof that she was lying. Mr. Ruff failed to raise an objection during the trial when the alleged victim made mention of my prior criminal record (which inflamed the jury, creating bias against me) and his indifference was noted by the judge, who refused to grant a mistrial due to Mr. Ruff timidity and lack of pursuit of the facts of the case.
Mr. Ruff showed very limited legal acumen and clearly did a poor job of litigating my case. Furthermore, while the Criminal Threats charge ended in a jury deadlock (10 – 2) in my favor, I was convicted of an Assault I did not commit and, despite being on bail for 18 months with no incidents, was immediately remanded to custody.
Once in custody, I was shocked to hear Mr. Ruff disclose that he did not know the judge in my case and this was the first case he ever litigated in front of her. He then told me that I should just call my job ($ 91K annually as an IT programmer) and resign, but maybe the judge would give me probations (hardly likely, considering her bias).
Two weeks later I was sentenced to the upper term of 4 years in state custody, Mr. Ruff was nonexistent once again in the courtroom and timidly offered a feeble argument to the now frothing-​at-​the-​mouth judge. This display of legal cowardice cost me $ 16,000 and my $ 91K annual job, as well as two years of my life!
I urge any and everyone to avoid dealing with this individual as he was deceitful and indifferent to me in my time of need for legal expertise. A complaint is being filed with the California state bar association and I’m also filing for legal fee arbitration to recover the money I paid to him. Hope this factual information helps someone before the same fate befalls them.