Attorney Biography
Shelly Matthys has been practicing family law since 1998 when she joined St. Andrew Legal Clinic as a staff attorney. During her 19 years at St. Andrew she was the branch manager of the Portland office and in 2014 she became the clinic's Executive Director. She retired from St. Andrew on January 1, 2017 in order to devote her time to private practice and community service through volunteering as a pro tem judge. She is well known for her courtroom advocacy and the no-nonsense approach she brings to her cases.
Child development and protection have been central to Ms. Matthys's law practice, she has been representing children in high conflict custody cases for over twelve years and has been a volunteer reader for SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) since 1999. She has served on a variety of committees in the legal community including the Oregon Child Support Guidelines Advisory Committee; the Local Professional Responsibility Committee and the Multnomah County Circuit Court Family Law Advisory Committee.
Ms. Matthys was born and raised in San Diego and graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She graduated cum laude from the Seattle University School of Law.
In her private time Ms. Matthys enjoys spending time with her husband and their three daughters. She's an avid reader and movie goer who enjoys gardening in the spring and summer.
