Joseph Barrett Mathis

I would highly recommend Joseph Mathis to anyone considering an attorney for a matter. Period. I have been a paralegal for the past 25 years in Washington state, but lacked a referral from any sources to handle the probate of my stepmother in Maryland. I found Mr. Mathis just as you are doing now ...by reading his reviews on AVVO. I was compelled by the online review to contact him and I was not disappointed in any area of representation. My case involved the probate of my stepmother’s estate. My father pre-deceased my stepmother, but my father’s estate was not probated based on the assumption that my stepmother would “do the right thing” by my father. This was my father’s third wife, but he also had been married to her for over 30 years. She had no children of her own, her parents had pre-deceased her and she was estranged from her sister for over a decade, if not longer. My step-mother did sign a will within months of my father’s passing that accomplished doing the “right thing”, however, due to either her severe alcoholism or undue pressure/influence from “friends”, she changed her will to exclude all three of my father’s children and leave her estate to three of her “friends”. Two of these friends hadn’t been part of her life for over five years and one of them was my father’s friend who she had been “dating” after my father’s passing. After she passed away, we discovered that my stepmother’s alcoholism was more severe than anyone thought it to be. It was on this fact that I pursued investigating a will contest, aka caveat proceeding, with Mr. Mathis. Based upon my stepmother’s severe change in behavior, her self-isolation, and new discovered high level of alcoholism, I truly believed that my stepmother was not in her right state of mind when she signed the second will. . In addition to my stepmother signing the new will two years after my father’s passing and 4 years before she passed, we were told by her attorney that she had sent a letter to him that stated that none of her deceased husband’s family were to inherit from her estate. In the end the land my grandfather gifted to my father in the early 70s (pre-marriage to my step-mother) where he and my father built the only home my father’s children knew, and the only piece of land my father grew up on from age 12, was sold and the proceeds split between “friends”. I was forced to purchase a few of my father’s guns from my stepmother’s estate. I found out about the auction of my father’s items the morning of the auction. Obviously, I couldn’t get to Gettysburg from the West Coast in time. I emailed and called Mr. Mathis’ office at 6:00 am (PST) and Mr. Mathis called the personal representative’s attorney to see about stopping the auction or what options might be available to us. There was nothing I could do but bid on my father’s property. I called Mr. Mathis in tears this day to tell him how things went. I had to leave him a message with my crying voice. He was so kind, he called me after hours to see how I was doing. All of this hurt my heart wickedly, but I cannot say enough positive things about Mr. Mathis’ handling of this case. When we discovered the letter plus the new will of my step-mother, Mr. Mathis was very honest with me about worrying about the amount of money it might take to fight the will with this new information plus the probability of not being able to “win”. Mr. Mathis could have simply told me a retainer amount and taken my money, however, he admitted he was concerned about the costs versus the probability of winning. This is the mark of a truly great attorney. Based on my experience, a great attorney is more concerned about the negative affect on his/her client’s versus being paid a fee in a probable no win situation. I recommend Mr. Mathis for any legal matter you seek counsel on without any reservation!!!

Upon the unexpected passing of my spouse, I contacted my family practice law firm and Joseph Mathis. Joe was new to me as my original attorney with this firm had retired. From the outset I was reassured about the estate matters that were before us. Mr. Mathis provided very clear instruction and ad...vice about the probate and estate process in line with our wills. All matters were addressed quickly and efficiently, all filings made without delay and I was kept fully informed all along the way. I also found Mr. Mathis to be a careful listener to the questions and needs of his client (me) and I always received precise answers. Mr. Mathis the demeanor and compassion that makes him, and his firm, the first choice for estate planning and probate. He will be my attorney for what I hope is a very long time.

My family and myself have asked Joe to help us on several occasions for estate planning He gives great advice and answered all our questions. First he helped my dad with the revision of his will, secondly he helped us with the process for my Mom's Medicaid application who was in a dementia unit in... a nursing home. He is very easy to talk to honest, straightforward and upfront. I asked him to help me with my estate planning and will. I referred my Mother-in-law to Joe she was very impressed with his knowledge and kindness she was in the process of getting her estate planning set up but sadly she passed away before Joe could finish, so now her sons are using Joe's expertise to close the estate. I would highly recommend him!

When my mom died suddenly, Joe was incredibly helpful and professional in helping my sister and I through all the intricacies of mom's estate. We had a conflict with her negligent accountant and he really went to bat in helping us navigate a tough situation. He knows the law and yet is also kind and ...personable. I highly recommend Joe Mathis!

Mr. Mathis simultaneously lead me through the process of managing/settling my husband's estate and creating a new will, power of attorney and advanced directive. He was patient and supportive when I was frequently slow to respond while dealing with a distraught teenager and my own grief. Despite this..., he was always very thorough and I felt well advised throughout the process.