About Matthew
Matthew Shaw built a legal foundation in Illinois in the 1980s. He earned a B.A. from Illinois College in 1983 and completed his legal studies at Northern Illinois University, receiving his J.D. in 1986. Those years set the stage for a career centered on family law and the practical work of court systems.
Shaw’s early work brought him inside the machinery of county courts. In 1987 he served as a child support lawyer in the Kane County Circuit Court Clerk’s office. That position gave him daily exposure to enforcement procedures and the realities families face when support issues move through county dockets. He moved from that role into private practice and by 1991 he was a partner at Shaw, Jacobs, Goosetree & Associates, P.C., handling a range of family-law matters for clients across the region.
His practice evolved over the decades. Since 2016 he has been affiliated with Shaw Sanders P.C., where he continues to represent clients in contested and negotiated family-law disputes. The office handles cases that require courtroom experience as well as alternative dispute resolution. Shaw’s work has included custody and support cases, and he has carried his early experience in child-support enforcement into his later practice.
Shaw holds certifications relevant to family law: he is a certified Guardian ad Litem for family-law matters and a certified family-law mediator. Those credentials permit him to represent the interests of children in court-appointed guardian roles and to serve as a neutral facilitator in settlement discussions. His approach tends to mix courtroom preparation with attention to settlement opportunities when they arise.
He has been active in bar and professional organizations throughout his career. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Family Law Section Council. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the DuPage County Bar Association and the Illinois Family Support Enforcement Association. He chaired the Kane County Bar Association’s Family Law Committee from 2008 to 2009 and served on the Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Section Council Custody Subcommittee from 2002 to 2003. He has maintained ties to trial lawyer groups and to local bar leadership over several decades.
Shaw remains based in Illinois and focuses his practice on family-law matters. He currently practices at Shaw Sanders P.C., handling custody, support and related family-law issues.
