Hank Matri has had an enviable 40-year legal career, with a long list of clients across varying fields. Matri started as a tax attorney at Cole Schotz in 1977 and developed his corporate practice as an offshoot of his work with family-owned and closely held businesses.

“What drew me away from the pure tax aspect of law was the excitement of learning the businesses of my clients. That’s what intrigued me, and when I started out, those were mostly manufacturing businesses, which are hard to find now that we’ve switched over to more of a service-based economy,” says Matri.

“I’ve had a lot of experience working with one of the largest specialty tape manufacturers located here in New Jersey. I work with another manufacturer in Meadowlands that makes durable medical equipment: Theirs is an interesting business model because they are so dependent on the ever-changing health care laws.” 

Over the years, Matri has also represented several supermarket chains, chemical suppliers to the cosmetic industry, a major wholesale wood flooring company, software development companies, wholesale building products companies, and medical and veterinary practices.

Today, Matri is co-chair of Cole Schotz’s corporate department, which he founded 25 years ago. The department has 18 lawyers who do corporate finance, tax, and transactional work, as well as business succession planning—another of Matri’s specialties. 

In addition to his legal work, Matri is a past chairman of the Holy Name Hospital Foundation in Teaneck and served on its board of trustees. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in corporate law for over 10 years and was named Hackensack “Lawyer of the Year” for corporate law in 2014 before winning the award again this year.


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