Reviews

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 professionally prepared the documents I needed as well as setting up my trust. I deeply trust her guidance and recommendations.

I have been working with Deborah Matthews for about 3 years. I am so grateful to have found her. She helped me set up a trust and plan my estate but also gave counsel to me as the co-executor of my parents' estate which was very complicated and painful. She has a wonderful understanding of the law but also handles difficult situations with practical yet compassionate advice. She has been very patient, wise and very fair.

Deborah exceeded my expectations on the outcome I was seeking. I would use her every time I needed a lawyer.

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???????

Deborah specializes in financial and estate planning area of the law and does it well. Her knowledge of POAs, wills and trusts is extensive. Her office and staff is very professional and moves the process right along. With her work and skills I have all the necessary financial and estate documents that I need. She brings out issues that I never thought about. I would highly recommend her.

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.

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 jumping 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 have worked with hundreds of lawyers in my career, and Deborah Matthews is one of the nicest and warmest people you would ever want to work with. More than nice, she's extremely knowledgeable about probate, and estate planning related topics and is always very responsive to our needs. If we have a question, we know that Ms. Matthews will provide us a properly researched and well versed answer. Ms. Matthews is also very well respected among her colleagues as we had worked with some other attorneys in the area, none of whom exuded the kindness of Ms. Matthews or her staff. I would highly recommend working with Ms. Matthews, and encourage you to speak with her about your matter. You will learn, quickly, the same thing that we did, and that is that she really cares. Further, since the time I first hired Ms. Matthews I have have referred several friends and colleagues, and EVERYONE has been happy with her and her staff. We could not be in better hands. Thank you Ms. Matthews for showing us you care.

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 several 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?