Matiss Kukains

Board Member and Regional Co-Director, Riga

Matiss Kukainis is a founding partner of SPIGULIS & KUKAINIS Law Firm in Riga, Latvia ( www.ska.lv ) . He was born and educated in Michigan (USA), and has been living and working in Latvia full-time since 2006. He is a dual US and Latvian citizen. He is a licensed attorney both in Latvia and the State of Illinois, USA. Matiss specializes in all aspects of real estate law, consulting on the sale, lease, inheritance and management of property, including farmland and forest, and has vast experience with inheritance and property disputes.

Outside of the office, Matiss is the current (2022-2023) President of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (re-elected for third term), and  has served as the NCCL Vice President and on the Board since 2017. He has also served as the President, Vice President, and Board Member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (2008-2015), and as a Board Member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (2007-2009).

Matiss also has taught Business and International Law at various institutions in Latvia, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, amassing more than 1,300 direct classroom teaching hours. Matiss holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (B.S.M.E.) and a Juris Doctor Degree in Law (J.D.) from Michigan State University. He also holds a Master of Law Degree (LL.M.). in International and EU Law from the Riga Graduate School of Law.