Deborah Gail Matthews

Ms. Matthews was handling the estate for my husband and me. I was the caregiver for my mentally and physically disabled husband. She got our legal/financial affairs in order so that I had the ability to manage them. She at first was kind and compassionate and competent. A few years in, I met with... her just to update some contact information. She then sent me a review of what we discussed; there were errors in this, and also a question was raised in my mind about if I died before my disabled husband. I emailed her and called and she would not answer my question: finally she called back and said it compromised her ethics to answer my question: I just wanted to know what the law said about this issue; I was not trying to do anything unethical. She put me in contact with another lawyer who would have charged me $900 to answer the question. I dropped it; Matthews stopped sending us the yearly birthday cards, etc. ...Last month, my husband died. I called her office to see if she was willing to handle the legal details. She NEVER returned the call after a week. MY HUSBAND DIED, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, AND SHE IGNORED ME. Luckily I'd used a previous lawyer who had gotten ill which was why we went to Matthews; the first lawyer was in practice again and was happy to settle the estate for me. He called Deborah to have our file emailed to him; she said she would need my permission, but never contacted me for my permission. I got to my lawyer and had to bring him my huge file so he could copy it himself. What is wrong with her???????

I was recommended to Deborah by a close friend of mine who’s judgement I respect, (perfectionist when it comes to legal/tax matters). I also have advanced cancer so there was a time constraint to get this done. Deborah was very considerate and got me into my initial meeting within the week – I know... she had to shuffle a few appointments as she is in very high demand. I required several documents of a high legal/technical nature that included: • Last Will and Testament • Trust Deed • Deed of Assignment • Memorandum of Instruction • Power of Attorney • Advanced Medical Directive • HIPAA Release I received a draft of the documents much faster than expected. Not a single amendment was required. We set up an appointment to sign the documentation. Deborah was completely prepared for the meeting which was completed in record time. I walked out knowing me and my loved ones are legally protected to the full extent of the law. Also want to take this opportunity to give a big shout out to Deborah’s legal team Cassandra and Natalie, (hope I spelt your name right). They are a delight who really know their jobs. Well done folks. I would recommend Deborah and Team to anyone.

I hired Ms. Matthews after the unexpected death of my mother. I have no siblings, she was not married at the time of her death. Ms. Matthews was my attorney for approx 1 month before we determined that my mother's estate was likely to be insolvent. Since that meeting, Ms. Matthews blatantly ignored s...everal phone calls and emails from me. She did not respond to me for two weeks, so I made the decision to terminate her. I notified her, she did not respond. When I showed up at her office to retrieve my documents, she walked in the front door as I was in the lobby. I asked her what was going on. She said she was sorry but she had other clients in crisis, one had just had brain surgery. Ms. Matthews has a staff of at least 3. Why did she not direct her staff to contact me, and let me know she was unavailable due to emergency? Furthermore, how is another client's crisis a legitimate reason for ignoring mine? Why would you want to hire a lawyer who does not reply to any of your outreaches for 2 weeks?

During my separation and subsequent divorce, I needed a new will and to proactively work on my estate planning. Ms. Matthews' compassion, attention to detail and advocacy were invaluable to me. She quickly and carefully responded to my questions and concerns, handled any issues that arose and profess...ionally prepared the documents I needed as well as setting up my trust. I deeply trust her guidance and recommendations.

I have worked with Deborah for nearly 10 years. She first helped me review and re-order my affairs after the death of my husband and then after the death of my mother which left me guardian to my brother who has disabilities and lives in another state with other laws. I found her guidance excellent...--she was able to help me sort through all kinds of questions, both familial and financial. She helped me complete and file all the documents in two states to get the job done. Highly recommended.