2021 Outstanding Achievement in Public Law Award: Matthew Beltramo

Matthew Beltramo, Assistant District Attorney for the County of Alameda , Honored by Public Law Section of the California Lawyers Association with the Outstanding Achievement in Public Law Award

SACRAMENTO – The California Lawyers Association’s Public Law Section has awarded Matthew Beltramo, Assistant District Attorney with the Alameda District Attorney’s Office, the Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award for 2021.  The Outstanding Achievement in Public Law Award recognizes specific achievements in the field of public law.

Mr. Beltramo is the team leader of the Alameda District Attorney’s Office Consumer Protection Unit.  He joined the office in 2000 as a Deputy District Attorney.  In 2018 he was promoted to Assistant District Attorney and the team leader of the Consumer Protection Unit.  He previously handled various criminal assignments including felony trials and while collar crime prior to being assigned to the Consumer Protection Unit.  He is a graduate of Stanford University and obtained his J.D. from Yale Law School.

As a consumer prosecutor, Mr. Beltramo has long been considered among the finest prosecutors in the consumer protection community – a community that consists of several hundred prosecutors throughout the state dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers. Beltramo’s accomplishments as part of the Consumer Unit of the Alameda District Attorney’s Office have had a tremendously positive impact on the consumers of our state.  He also acts as a Trustee for the Consumer Protection Trust Fund which supports training opportunities and provides grant funding for consumer protection prosecutors around the state.

Beltramo successfully argued in 2020 before the California Supreme Court an important issue in consumer protection actions in Nationwide BiWeekly Admin., Inc. v Superior Court of Alameda.  In that case, the California Supreme Court held that actions under the Unfair Competition Law are equitable in nature and that the parties do not have a constitutional right under the state constitution to a jury in such cases.

In People v Overstock.Com, Beltramo was part of the multi county trial team, and served as the lead prosecutor in the trial.  He and the trial team successfully obtained a $6.8 million dollar verdict and an injunction against the online retailer for overstating the discounts on its products.  At the time, it was one of the largest civil penalty awards in an Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising action. Beltramo and his team went on to successfully uphold the verdict on appeal in a published decision by the First District Court of Appeal which included language that has been frequently cited by other consumer protection attorneys in support of their consumer protection cases.

“Matt is not only a brilliant legal scholar, but he has an impressively strong presence in the Courtroom” said District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley.  “Matt is largely regarded as one of the smartest and reasoned attorneys in the Office.  At the same time, he is the first to give praise to others. He is always available to provide legal and personal help to his colleagues. Though his schedule is busy, he provides stewardship and support to others in the Office and across the State.  Matt is one of the kindest people in the Office. His quiet style of leadership belies his tenacity as an advocate.  I and the Alameda County District Attorney staff are so proud to call him one of our own.  I can think of no better attorney, nor a more deserving attorney than Matthew Beltramo to receive the Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award, 2021” said O’Malley.

Upon being advised that he was the recipient of the award, Beltramo stated: 

“I am humbled to have been nominated for this award by my esteemed colleagues and even more honored to have received it from the Public Law Section, a group I deeply respect. Work in the field of consumer protection is collaborative by nature, and I owe a debt of gratitude to my fellow prosecutors around the State”