He is originally from Michigan, but has been living and working in Latvia for the past 10 years, and is a founding partner of the full-service Latvian business law firm SPIGULIS & KUKAINIS ( www.ska.lv ) located in Old Town Riga, where he specializes in real estate and inheritance law. Matiss is a member of the student fraternity Talavija, a graduate of the Detroit Latvian School and the Garezers Latvian Summer School (GVV).