Matthew G. Shaw

Matt Shaw attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and graduated from Illinois College, Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1983. He continued his education at the Northern Illinois University College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate degree in 1986, and became a licensed attorney in Illinois on November 6, 1986.

Having previously practiced in general and family law practices, and having served as the child support attorney for Kane County Circuit Court Clerks Office from 1987 to 1995. Mr. Shaw opened his own law practice concentrating in family law in 1991. In 2000, he co-founded the law firm of Shaw, Jacobs, Goostree & Associates, P.C. in St. Charles, Illinois, which concentrated its practice in family law, including dissolution of marriage, financial issues, and custody litigation. In 2016, Matt reopened his own law firm Shaw Sanders, P.C.

Mr. Shaw has been a legal author and lecturer for many years, and has served on family law committees including the ISBA Family Law Section Council (having first served in 1991). He has authored and published articles in the ISBA Family Law Newsletter and authored the first chapter of the Illinois Family Law Handbook. He has presented at family law seminars throughout the country. On behalf of the ISBA Family Law Section Council Custody Subcommittee, he testified in Springfield before Illinois Supreme Court Custody Committee regarding proposed custody legislation on March 28, 2003.

With a proven track record of success representing men, women, and children in Illinois courts, Mr. Shaw has extensive court and trial experience. He has also served as a Mediator and Guardian ad Litem in Family Law cases, and has resolved numerous cases outside of court.

He has been interviewed on family law topics on both television and radio, and has volunteered his time at divorce support groups. Mr. Shaw continues to serve as an attorney presenter at Kids in a Divorcing Society (KIDS) family court program for parents (since 1993), and was the Co-Chair of the Kane County Family Law Committee. He and his firm also support various legal service groups that serve those in need.

Practice Areas:

• Family Law
• Divorce
• Mediation

Bar Admissions:

• Illinois, 1986
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Education:

• Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois (1986), J.D.
• Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois (1983), B.A. Magna Cum Laude

Certifications:

• Mediator
• Guardian ad Litem, Family Law

Honors and Awards:

• Super Lawyers, 2019-Present
• Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms, 2019
• Elite Lawyer, Founding Member, 2019-Present
• Distinguished BV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2013-2014
• Leading West Suburban Lawyers, Leading Lawyers Network, 2013-2018
• 10.0 Superb Rating, Avvo

Professional Memberships and Associations:

• Illinois State Bar Association
  
  • Family Law Section Counsel Co-Chair
  • Family Law Section Council Custody Subcommittee, 2002-2003
• Kane County Bar Association
  
  • Chair, Family Law Committee, 2008-2009
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
• American Bar Association
• DuPage County Bar Association
• Illinois Family Support Enforcement Association
• America Trial Lawyers Association, Past Member

Publications and Presentations:

• Maintenance Review: Jurisdiction, Procedure, Statutory Standards and Factors, Strategies for Family Law in Illinois, Aspatore Publication (Thompson Reuters), 2015 Edition
• Chapter One, Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Handbook, Author, 1995 and 2011
• The Family Law Lawyer Column, Kane County Bar Association Brief
  • Maintenance: 'Til Death do us Part?
  • Dissipation: When Does it Begin to Begin?
  • Maintenance: Payable upon Death? Tax-free?
  • Does More Parenting Time Justify Less Child Support?
  • Commingling Non-Marital and Marital Property: Reimbursement for Contributions?
  • Ever Read the Mental Health and Development Disabilities Confidentiality Act?
  • Are Vacation Days Marital Property?
  • UIFSA: Modifying Out of State Child SupportInterest on Unpaid Child Support: Mandatory?
  • Holiday Stress and Family Law
• Family Law Newsletter, Illinois State Bar Association
  • An Introductory Overview of Jurisdictional Requirements under the IMDMA and UCCJA
  • Supreme Court Interprets Dissipation
  • Pre-nuptial Agreements
  • Interpreting "Prior Obligations"
  • Transfer of Marital Residence Found Fraudulent by Bankruptcy Court
• Finances Important to Many Post-Recession Couples, Daily Chronicle, Feature Story, July 2014
• Case Study: Plano Dad's Child Support Payment Problems a Family Affair, Aurora Beacon News, Feature Story, June 2014
• Forming Families: St. Charles Adoption Attorney Shares His Story of Bringing Families Together, Kane County Magazine, Feature Story, November 2011
• Family Law Seminars, Kane County Bar Association, 1988-2011
• Negotiating/Drafting Maintenance Provisions, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, June 22, 2007
• Commingled and Transmuted Property, Chicago, Illinois, September 21, 2006
• Evidence: Turning a Witness, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 9, 2005
• Ethical Dilemmas for the Family Law Practitioner, Bloomington, Illinois, March 1, 2004
• Custody Changes: What are Your Odds?, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 15, 2003
• Hot Tips for Custody Litigation, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, June 21, 2000
• Ethical Problems of the Divorce Practice, Peoria, Illinois, October 12, 1994
• Organizing a Small Divorce Office: The Business of Law (panel discussion), Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, June 25, 1993
• Custody Evaluations under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 215 (a) and (d) and IMDMA 604 and 605, Chicago, Illinois, December 4, 1992
• Jurisdiction, St. Louis, Missouri, June 28, 1991
• Child Support, Panelist, Springfield, Illinois