Meeting Every Need

In 2009, Christine Matus gave birth to the second of two children, her younger daughter, Juliana, now 16, who is autistic and was also diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Back then, even as a general law practitioner, Matus had trouble finding information about the nuances of special needs estate planning. It can involve trusts, wills, real estate, guardianships, housing and government benefits.

“The more I learned about it, the more I realized it might be very helpful to help educate other families and other lawyers,” says Matus, owner of The Matus Law Group. “My mission is to get out there and tell people that there are solutions. There’s hope. There are people who want to support and understand you.”

Matus’ clients are worried about what will happen after they die. Who will look out for their special-needs family member? How will they manage money and where can they live? How can this transition be made as smoothly as possible?

Matus’ firm, which has offices in Toms River, Red Bank and New York, boasts an all-female team that includes—in addition to Matus—a senior attorney, two associates, and a support staff of 12. Her entire staff, she says, is made up of “equally kind, charismatic, energetic, passionate people who are dedicated to helping client families and supporting each other.

“We give grace to each other and, in turn, we give grace to our clients,” says Matus, who, with husband Steven Delhaas, also has an 18-year-old daughter, Emma. “Whatever the situation,” she says, “there’s always someone at the firm to say, ‘Been there, done that, and here are suggestions of how to deal with it.’”

Matus says the firm is growing at a rate of 20% to 30% each year.

“When I get up in the morning, I’m excited to go to work. I really am,” she says. “Oh, I get tired and I get frustrated with the system … but at the end of the day, I’m very, very grateful to find this area of law that I love.”

Matus always knew she wanted to launch her own business. Her physician father had done so, and “when we were growing up, he always said, ‘Have your own business. Be your own boss.’”

After passing the New Jersey Bar in 1995, she worked with other firms, and “learned a lot: how to deal with people, how to be flexible. But at the end of the day, I always wanted to have my own mission, my own way of doing things.”

She opened her office in 2003, taking on municipal court cases, family law issues, real estate transactions—“doing a lot of things.” She was honing in on estate planning before Juliana was born. Her daughter’s birth nudged her further in that direction.

Matus says she is “basically an open book,” and shares her story with clients when appropriate. “I’ve said to clients, ‘I have exactly what I’m creating for you.’ I like giving examples of how we set it up and why it fits for us, and it can be the same or different for them.”

She shares the story of a divorcing couple who needed a long-term care plan for their special-needs daughter. Besides helping the family with their legal needs, including a guardianship and a backup guardianship, Matus introduced them to organizations that teach life skills now and provide housing when needed.

“We left nothing to chance,” she says. “I love that they’re secure.”

Five years later, she’s still in contact with the family. “I see the daughter in other circles and she’s thriving,” Matus says. “When she sees me, she gives me the biggest hug.”

Christine Matus’ tips for balancing it all

• Advance planning. Her family plans in three-month chunks: school assignments, rehearsals, appointments, social engagements. “I live and die by that calendar.”
• Ask for help. When Juliana wore ankle braces, every morning was a struggle. “Then I realized she had therapists at her school. I asked, ‘Would you be able to help put braces on when she gets to school?’ and they said, ‘Of course!’ There are other people around who are probably better at doing something, so why not ask them?”
• Find a community. Matus works with three nonprofits—21 Plus, MOCEANS Center for Independent Living Inc. and iStrive Community—that support people with special needs. She also has a Facebook group for clients to share information.
• Be flexible. Before trips, Matus considers challenges for Juliana, who likes routines. “Sure, we can get upset about something happening,” Matus says, “but we let it roll off our shoulders, because there are a lot of worse things.”
• Take time for yourself. “Everyone should have something they can do to zone out.”