Deborah Laraine Matern

I was very surprised to read the negative Client Reviews for Deborah Matern, although after reading the verbiage in the reviews, I’m suspicious that they may have been written by the same person. My experience with the Matern Team could not have been more positive. I found Ms. Matern to be professi...onal, informative, reasonably priced, knowledgeable, and driven to resolve my case in a manner that was in my best interest and definitively NOT most profitable for her. I think that when we pay for a service, societally we have come to expect a “How may we help you?!” and a service-with-a-smile attitude from service providers. Unfortunately, that is an unrealistic expectation when it comes to matters of law. It is standard practice for clients to be billed by the minute and generic platitudes and niceties are expensive and unproductive. I found Ms. Matern to be very pleasant but also very direct and to the point, which I appreciated because at the end of the day that saves me money. If you want to be disingenuously greeted and asked about your day, I suggest you go to Starbucks. The other reviews also mentioned “exorbitant billing”. My answer to that is that competent legal representation is very expensive. I researched other firms before deciding on the Matern Firm and I can tell you that comparatively she is very reasonably priced. Where many other firms bill the attorney’s work, phone consultations, etc in 15 minute blocks and always round up, Deborah Matern bills in 6 minute increments. This may seem tedious and unimportant but when it comes to your out of pocket money the benefits of her billing-style add up quickly. In fact, Ms. Matern often referred me to her paralegal and office staff in matters of less importance as a cost-saving technique, as her paralegal billing occurs at a reduced rate, not to be dismissive or because she was unreachable. Another common expectation of service providers is that you explain your problem and they fix it; much like leaving a car with a mechanic. Again, that was not a realistic approach in my case and in legal matters in general. I found that Ms. Matern provided clear direction and explained my options in a manner that someone not well-versed in legalese could understand. It wasn’t always what I wanted to hear but it was an honest evaluation of my situation and in retrospect, I appreciated the clarity she provided. I don’t believe legal representation is intended to be a drive-thru dry-cleaning drop off type situation. It is very much a collaborative process that I found Deborah Matern to be exceptionally proficient at. My case and legal issues in general, can be extremely confusing and uncomfortable in the best of situations. I appreciate the effort the Matern Team put into making the process as efficient, comfortable, understandable, and as timely as could be expected. I would highly recommend retaining Deborah Matern as legal representation were you ever in need of an attorney you can trust to make your priorities her own and help resolve your situation as fairly and reasonably as possible.

It is almost impossible to get this attorney on the phone! When you finally get to talk to her, she is condescending and rude. She acted put out that I asked for advice or requested an update on my case. We discussed certain aspects of my case repeatedly because when I brought them up, she acted like... we had never discussed it. I really wonder if she takes notes or studies her cases at all. When we went to court, she seemed scattered and unprepared. The judge corrected her several times on correct procedure. For example, she attempted to alter the initial decree by pen and turn it in on our first court visit. The judge advised my attorney all forms must be submitted electronically. She seemed surprised at this. What a frustrating experience! She showed a complete lack of compassion or concern for how her lack of urgency and callous actions affected my life. She often contradicted herself during conversations making it difficult to get a clear idea of what to expect, what my options were and how she intended to handle my case. Forms provided by her office were often scanned in and crooked on the page instead of being Word or Excel documents. This required the client to print the document, hand write his/her responses and return the document so her assistant could type it up. Very unprofessional looking forms! It would have been so much easier if these were in a Word or Excel format. The forms also required the same information be provided on multiple forms. What a waste of time.

Very unprofessional. If you want to be presented with choices but no legal advice this is your lawyer. I hired an attorney for legal advice, got no advice, occasionally received exorbitant statements and was told if I 'could prove' the charges were false they might be reduced. This attorney will nick...el and dime as much as possible at every turn. She offers choice A and choice B but does not advice the client as to what is the better choice. Seems much more intent on suggesting what she can charge the most for. She would much rather not be bothered with having to see the client....she is 'too busy' for that. This is classic 'only in it for how ever much money can be milked from the client' attorney. I believe in paying a fair price for services, but when my phone calls are not returned for days, yet I get charged for leaving repeated messages I feel this is poor service and proof of not caring about the client just the money.