Matt M. Paavola Esq. - Towson, MD

In 2024 Matt M. Paavola became “Of Counsel” to Hochberg, Costello & Baron in Towson. A graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law, Matt began the practice of law in the Essex area in 1982. He founded his own firm in 1986 and sold that practice in 2023. He continues to concentrate on workers' compensation law and personal injury law. He also handles wills, estates, elder law, criminal charges, and small business matters.

Mr. Paavola has tried cases at virtually every level of Maryland's judicial system, from the various courts of original jurisdiction to the Court of Appeals of Maryland. He has also been involved in a great deal of federal litigation. Mr. Paavola's greatest source of pride is his trial skills in workers compensation law. He has tried well over 3,000 Workers' Compensation cases and appeals.

Mr. Paavola was born and raised in a working-class neighborhood in East Baltimore. Coming from a blue-collar family, he has a deep-rooted affection for labor rights. The father of three now adult daughters, Matt now resides in Baltimore County with his wife, Lisa. They are active with Grace Fellowship Church of Timonium.

Mr. Paavola has tried cases at virtually every level of Maryland's judicial system, from the various courts of original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court of Maryland. He has also been involved in a great deal of federal litigation. Mr. Paavola's greatest source of pride is his trial skills in workers compensation law.

Mr. Paavola is a member in good standing of the Maryland Association for Justice (formerly the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association). The thrust of his focus has been workers' compensation legislation that improves the status of the injured worker. He was nominated and elected to the Board of Governors in 2000 and retired in 2005 when he received the MAJ prestigious Defender of Justice Award. Mr. Paavola was also busy on the Board of Kids' Chance, an organization founded to help provide scholarship money for the children of seriously injured workers, for over a decade. He co-hosted the Lawyer's Show for over 5 years which aired on WJFK Radio every Saturday morning.

In 2015 Mr. Paavola was awarded the prestigious Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Maryland Association of Justice, and in that same year, was recognized as a winner of the Daily Record’s Leadership in the Law.

Mr. Paavola is also very active in charitable groups. He has served at the Helping Up Mission as a coordinator and volunteer with the Legal Aid Ministry of Baltimore for over twenty years. This is a not-for-profit organization that furnishes pro bono assistance to the indigent. He has served as State Membership Director of the Greater Baltimore Christian Legal Society (now known as Maryland Christian Legal Society) for over four decades. That effort has led to the creation of a law student mentoring program connecting law students with local members of the Christian Legal Society. His volunteer efforts have also led Mr. Paavola to work with the Essex/Middle River/White Marsh Chamber of Commerce (now known as the Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce) and Sta-Put Educational Committee. This committee was instrumental in establishing a resident mediation program to facilitate community stability in impoverished areas of eastern Baltimore County. He is also active in the Baltimore County Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association serving on the Insurance, Negligence and Worker's Compensation subcommittees. Mr. Paavola has twice chaired the Public Awareness Committee for the Baltimore County Bar Association.

Perhaps Mr. Paavola’s greatest source of professional pride is the 2022 co-founding of the Baltimore City chapter of a faith-based legal pro bono clinic known as Good Samaritan Advocates. Located at the City of Refuge in South Baltimore, the free clinic has helped hundreds of underrepresented clients with a variety of legal issues.