Running a law firm and advising business clients creates an unusual feedback loop. Every challenge Matthew Fornaro faces as a small business owner—cash flow timing, contract negotiations, growth decisions—becomes insight he brings to the businesses he represents across South Florida.
An attorney since 2003, Fornaro has built his practice serving small and medium-sized businesses in Coral Springs, Parkland, and throughout the region. His approach stems from direct experience: he knows what it is like to make payroll, manage overhead, and navigate the operational realities that legal advice often overlooks.
From BigLaw to Business-Owner Perspective
Fornaro’s background includes time at two AmLaw 200 firms, where he focused on civil litigation. That foundation in complex commercial disputes remains central to his practice today. But the shift to running his own firm changed how he thinks about business law representation.
His practice now spans complex commercial litigation, particularly contract disputes, construction law, and intellectual property matters. He also handles the formation of business organizations and drafts the documents that new companies need to operate legally. It is this range—from courtroom litigation to helping someone choose between an LLC and an S-corp—that reflects the reality of what small businesses actually need from legal counsel.
Teaching What He Practices
Fornaro’s involvement extends beyond client work. He both graduated from and now instructs in the Kaufman Foundation’s FastTrac NewVenture Program, presented by the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development and the City of Hollywood. He’s also a graduate and instructor for Florida State University’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship Small Business Executive Program.
This commitment to mentoring new attorneys and entrepreneurs suggests someone interested in the ecosystem around small businesses, not just individual transactions. The programs focus on practical business development—the kind of knowledge that helps attorneys understand what clients actually face.
His credentials include Florida Supreme Court certification as both a qualified arbitrator and a county mediator, as well as an arbitrator with FINRA, NFA, and USCIB. The peer recognition has followed: Martindale’s “AV” rating, Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star designation, and numerous industry honors.
Looking Beyond South Florida
While his practice has deep roots in South Florida’s business community, Fornaro’s plans point toward expansion. He aims to continue serving small and medium-sized businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs not just locally but “around Florida and beyond.”
For a practice built on understanding the specific pressures of running a small business, that growth presents an interesting challenge. The commercial litigation and business formation services that work in Coral Springs need to translate across different markets and business environments.
A member of both the Florida Bar and the District of Columbia Bar, Fornaro represents the kind of legal practice that grew alongside the clients it serves. As startups and entrepreneurs increasingly need experienced business counsel who understands operational realities, not just legal theory, that firsthand perspective becomes harder to replicate. The question is whether that model scales, or whether it is precisely the local, owner-to-owner understanding that makes it work.
