Matthew C. Parson is a high-quality, veteran defense attorney based in Franklin, Pennsylvania. He practices criminal law, family law, civil law, and estate law. Matthew and his team can help you with divorce and custody problems, even if they are complex and emotionally charged.
Our satisfaction comes from helping those in need of advocacy, information, or advice. We also serve clients in need of criminal defense, civil litigation, and/or probate law and estate settlement. Call us today – your first consultation is free!
A little history…
Matthew graduated from Catholic University of America, Columbia School of Law in 2004. He then went to work in Washington, D.C. working for private law firms.
At that point, Matthew decided to move back to his hometown of and work on his PA law skills, with the goal of eventually opening his own practice. Matthew applied to work as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge H. William White and was accepted in 2005. He clerked for Judge White from 2005-2007 and describes the Honorable Judge as his
“first and best teacher.”
Matthew got the opportunity that he was looking for when a seasoned and well known lawyer in town, Attorney Michael Antkowiak, heard about him and invited him to share his office space.
Matthew opened his own practice, Matthew C. Parson, Attorney at Law, on September 3, 2007. For the next four years, Matthew worked on building his own client list and skill set, bending Michael’s ear for tips and advice along the way. Mr. Antkowiak shared generously in his knowledge of the court system, the law, local judges, and small business ownership, and Matthew learned an enormous amount in the time they spent together.
In 2011, Matthew made another move, this time into the office of a successful criminal defense lawyer, Attorney Wayne Hundtermark. There, he fine tuned his knowledge of the inner workings of the judicial systems in Venango and surrounding counties. His client list had grown to a respectable size, and his reputation was beginning to earn him repeat clients. Of Mr. Hundtermark, Matt says,
“I learned more from Judge White, Mike Antkowiak, and Wayne Hundtermark than I did in 8 years of undergraduate and graduate study!”
Matthew remains very grateful to the people that have helped him in his successes – and failures – along the way.
In 2014, Matthew had reached enough success that he was able to add his first employee, a smart, energetic young paralegal by the name of Shaughnesy Ruditis. Shaughnesy was able to answer phones, organize files, schedule appointments, and assist in hearings, jury selections, and trials. She had a working knowledge of the legal system with her education and was a quick study, allowing Matthew to delegate some of his workload. Shaughnessy was a perfect fit as a first addition to Matthew’s team, and, though she has since moved on, she remains a friend.
In 2016, Matthew made his most recent move, to his own office space. He chose the Liberty Building for it’s beautiful, historic architecture, and it’s prime location on Liberty Street in lovely downtown Franklin, and his soon-to-be wife, Jaimi Hajzus, brought her experience and joined the team as head of Marketing.
Matthew then hired a new assistant, Kara Guth, and they worked together on the third floor of the Liberty Building and have expanded their practice to include not just Venango County, but surrounding counties as well – Mercer, Crawford, Clarion, and Butler.
Then, Matthew was able to expand again into a newer, larger office in 2021. We now have an assistant, our paralegal Kara, and Jaimi as the MCP Team. We have to say that we’re very proud of our progress through the years!
Matthew continues to build his business and values the reputation he has come to be known for;
as professional, honest, and tough to beat.
He hopes to continue learning, growing, and taking the advice of experienced mentors as his business expands.
If you’d like to know more about Matthew and what brought him to where he is today, here is another special piece of Matthew’s story, in his own words.
I have been asked,
“What made you want to be a lawyer?”
The short answer is that I wanted to
help people get their foot in the door.
The long answer is that I was born disabled. I am legally blind. I don’t have a Seeing Eye dog or a cane, but I cannot drive. I have to read things closely and bright light makes it hard for me to see, kind of like a camera flash causes you to have a hard time seeing.
When I was young, there were people who did not think I could do what other kids could do. I was treated like I was stupid and I was often isolated from other kids.
Luckily for me, I had very determined parents who believed that with some elbow grease, I could do anything. They were frustrated with how I was not permitted to do what the other kids were allowed to do, and that the school district didn’t provide the proper accommodations for me, so they called the state. The state came in with lawyers who told folks that this kid was going to be treated better or lawsuits would be filed.
After that people changed their attitudes and my experiences were enriched because I was participating with the other kids.
I went to law school to become a civil rights lawyer. I found though that I enjoyed the day to day litigation of a family and criminal defense lawyer. I give our clients the
chance to fight, to get their foot in the door, be it for a fair criminal trial, time with their kids, resolving a loved one’s estate, or making sure marital property separated fairly.
Always fight the good fight!!! And if you need help getting your foot in the door, give us a call.
– Matthew