Deborah Gail Matthews

Deb Matthews and I are members of the same Unitarian church. When I began asking around for a reference to a lawyer to help me make end-of-life documents, another member who goes to baseball games with her (I don't) referred me to Deb since that is exactly her practise. All her communications with... me were thorough, detailed, instructive, and precise. And she was compassionate with my delayed responses due to the nasty side effects of my concurrent cancer treatment. Her office and staff are a model of client courtesy and comfort. I would trust her with anything else requiring counsel.

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???????

When my sister passed away, I felt compelled and the overwhelming desire to do the right thing took me over. As an Uncle of my sister's children it was the right thing to do. Being one that thought is was a simple matter of handling an estate, I soon realized I should have seeked counsel before jumpi...ng in. I was so pleased and relieved to know that Ms. Matthews' firm would be a good fit. The experience she has and of her office staff was amazing. Let's face it, the last thing a grieving family member needs is the overwhelming concerns of filings and fees, etc... of the court system. I had no idea it was that complex. The reassurance from her and her office, that all will be handled was rewarding. And it was. I would recommend Ms. Matthews law firm at a moments notice without any forethought. Thanks again for all the hard work and diligence. Uncle John

I called Ms Matthews of Alexandria due to a family crisis with my aunt. She was able to meet with us that same day. Ms Matthews ensured that all our concerns were addressed and my aunt and I both left feeling assured that our legal needs had been met. She provided us with all the necessary paper work... and explained it all to us in language we understood. Also, she made several suggestions that proved invaluable. I was very pleased that when I called with a follow up question several months later I was greeted warmly and my question was answered. It is a comfort to know that my aunt's legal needs are all in order. I highly recommend the services of Ms. Deborah Matthews.

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.