Matthew Rabinovitch grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but has called Spokane, Washington home for many years. He is married and the father of two school-age children. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis, cooking, streaming new music, and occasionally fooling around with his upright and electric basses.
He attended the University of Minnesota, Morris, where he majored in History, and later earned his Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University. Throughout and after college, he held a variety of jobs, including working in restaurants, a cable television company, and doing community journalism in Minneapolis. He began his legal career as a paralegal at Gordon and Rees in their San Francisco office, working on insurance defense and civil litigation cases. After relocating to Spokane, he continued as a paralegal at Evans, Craven & Lackie, focusing on insurance defense matters. He later applied to Gonzaga University School of Law, where he was admitted with two significant scholarships. While in law school, he interned for two years at Evans, Craven & Lackie.
In his third year of law school, Matthew completed externships with Judge Greg Sypolt in Spokane County Superior Court, the Unemployment Law Project, and the Spokane County Public Defender’s Office. He found his experience at the Public Defender’s Office especially rewarding, appreciating the opportunity to assist indigent clients in navigating a legal system often stacked against them. This led him to accept a position as an attorney at the Spokane County Public Defender’s Office after passing the Washington State Bar.
He began in the misdemeanor unit, handling cases involving charges such as impaired driving and domestic violence, before transitioning into the felony unit where he managed a full caseload of clients facing a broad spectrum of felony offenses. For two years, he worked in the juvenile unit, representing youth charged with crimes and completing the Juvenile Defense Training Academy in Seattle. Upon promotion to Senior Attorney, he returned to the felony unit, where he defended clients in numerous jury trials, earning multiple acquittals—including a notable vehicular homicide case—along with many dismissals and favorable plea agreements that helped clients avoid incarceration or significantly reduce their sentences.
In 2022, Matthew accepted a Senior Attorney position at Spokane County Counsel for Defense, an office that handles cases conflicted from the Public Defender’s Office. There, he focused on defending clients accused of violent crimes, sex offenses, and three-strikes cases. He led several jury trials, including one involving murder charges, secured multiple dismissals, and negotiated numerous favorable plea deals. As a public defender, he was known for earning clients’ trust, fostering strong working relationships with opposing counsel, and earning the respect of the judiciary.
In August 2024, he joined Quiroga Law Office after recognizing the opportunity to apply his legal skills and courtroom experience to support immigrant families. As part of the firm’s Defense Team, he focuses on defending immigrants in removal proceedings and represents clients at immigration interviews and appointments with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is licensed to practice law in both Washington and Minnesota, and is also admitted before the 9th Circuit United States Court of Appeals and two federal district courts: the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.
Matthew firmly believes that everyone facing prosecution by the government deserves a fair process and a strong defense—whether in criminal court or immigration proceedings.
His personal connection to immigration law runs deep. His mother-in-law lived in the United States without legal status for most of her life and endured the ongoing fear and insecurity of being deported to a country she hadn’t lived in since childhood. Her experience opened his eyes to the emotional toll of lacking legal status, the complexity and flaws of immigration law, and the vital role that skilled immigration attorneys play in offering guidance and protection.