Matt Kent

Matt is an Active Duty Marine Judge Advocate who joined the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in January 2019.  As General Counsel, he is responsible for advising the Director regarding all legal matters and services performed within DIU; managing DIU’s legal function; examining and creating draft agreements; maintaining knowledge of and providing legal support to DIU operations; coordinating significant legal issues, including litigation involving DIU and other legal matters in which DIU has an interest; providing advice on standards of conduct involving DIU personnel; and serving as the ethics counselor for DIU.

Prior to joining DIU, Matt was the Circuit Judge of the Western Judicial Circuit, Navy Marine Corps Trial Judiciary, where he led the most active criminal trial judiciary in the Department of Defense.  Before his service on the bench, Matt was assigned to the Pentagon, where he was a Planner and Policy Analyst for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff prior to serving on the legal staff of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.  Matt was the legal advisor to Marine ground forces during a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. He served as Associate Counsel for Contract and Fiscal Law for the Department of the Navy Office of General Counsel and as the Contingency Contracting Attorney for the Regional Contracting Center in Al Anbar, Iraq.  During his career, Matt has led several litigation teams, as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney.  

Matt has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of California at San Diego; a law degree from Notre Dame Law School; a postgraduate law degree in Contract and Fiscal Law from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS); and a Master’s Degree in National Security and Resource Strategy with a concentration in Robotics and Autonomous Systems and a certificate in Long Term Strategy from The Eisenhower School at National Defense University.