Judge Barrett is a graduate of the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. At DU, he received the Scholastic Excellence Award in an advanced class for Torts. After graduation, he practiced as a Deputy District Attorney in the 14th and 9th Judicial Districts. He was named the Prosecutor of the Year for the 9th Judicial District in 2011. In 2017, he was named a Chief Deputy District Attorney. Matthew also worked for approximately two years as a commercial litigator in Denver with Silver & DeBoskey, P.C. (now known as S&D Law). Matthew was previously the Vice President of the Northwest Colorado Bar Association and mentored a "little brother" through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado from 2012 to 2018.