I am Matt McAlerney. I was born in Seattle, the eldest of six children, and somewhere in the middle of about 70 cousins. I am the product of the best single-mom home, the beaches of Puget Sound, and several great teachers and mentors. After high school, I left Seattle to attend the University of Santa Clara, where I majored in English/American Studies. I stayed in Santa Clara for law school, earning my Juris Doctorate, Magna Cum Laude, in 1977. I passed the bar exam that same year, was admitted to the practice of law in California, and now I have a website that explains what I do with all those credentials – I help people get what they need, keep what they have earned and accumulated, and preserve it for those they love.

While at Santa Clara, I had the extreme good fortune to meet my soul mate, Kathy, who became my wife and has shared, shaped and defined my life since 1974. Neither of us is a “city person,” so in 1980 we packed our meager belongings, student loans and our eldest son, Joey, into the car and moved to the Fall River Valley in Northeastern California. I hung out my shingle on Highway 299E in Fall River Mills, and helped Kathy hang up diapers as our family grew with the births of Danny, in 1980, and Kevin, in 1983.

I began my career as a country lawyer by winning a case in the United States Supreme Court – Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, considered by many to be a landmark decision on the subject of free speech and state’s rights. 

My home and office are 75 miles from the nearest courthouse so, while I’ve spent a great deal of time before judges in California, I would much rather keep my clients out of courtrooms. Consequently, I limit my practice to Estate Planning, Elder Law, Trusts, Wills, Trust Administration, Probate and other services which generally don’t involve litigation. By explaining to people the merits of trusts, durable powers of attorney, and lifetime asset transfers, I help them and their families avoid the need to go to court in the event of death or incapacity.

Instead of spending hours traveling to a courthouse, not to mention the time one must spend waiting for his turn in court, I have had a life away from my job. My family has always been my first priority and, no matter what was on my desk at work, I wanted to be a good and involved husband and father. I coached my sons’ baseball and soccer teams for 22 years, took them fishing, introduced them to music, and participated in their education and lives. Kathy and I are proud of our family, which now includes our grandson, Casey, who arrived in 2011.

In addition to my coaching career, I have served as a director and president of the Fall River Valley Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Shasta County Economic Development Corporation, a founder and director of the Burney-Fall River Education Foundation, and a director of the Bulldog Sports Foundation.

Kathy and I spend much of our time working together in our yard or vegetable garden, or side by side as she creates her custom jewelry while I do whatever (okay, it’s usually a football, baseball or basketball game on the television). When the work is done, I often relax by cooking. We eat well.