About Portland and Beaverton Mediator Matthew House, J.D.
The Making of a Mediator
Except for his three years of law school in Idaho, Matthew is a lifelong Oregonian. He was born in Eugene and attended two-year-old preschool at a program at the University of Oregon. Sixteen years later, he returned to UO to begin college.
Drawn to the Law
In 2002, Matthew decided to pursue a law degree. Seeking a career in family law seemed perfect, as a child of divorced parents and as a former teacher who has worked with hundreds of teen and pre-teen students. He attended the University of Idaho College of Law on a full tuition scholarship. At UI, after completing the Professional Responsibility course, part of the required second-year curriculum, Matthew realized that the duties of a zealous advocate for one party in a family law case might be more contentious than he wanted. Pivoting to mediation was more consistent with his goals and values.
Full-Time Mediation Practice
Matthew completed his law degre (J.D.) in 2005. Matthew passed the Oregon Bar Exam the same year, on his first attempt. Because the duties of being a zealous advocate for only one party in a family law case do not appeal to Matthew, he has focused his entire career on mediation, rather than practicing law per se. He opened his first office in Downtown Portland in 2005 and relocated his practice to Beaverton in 2007. Since 2010, Matthew's office has been located at Central Beaverton's comfortable and well-appointed BG Plaza.
Taking Time for Fun
Outside of work, Matthew has a variety of interests. Chief among them is Major League Baseball. Matthew often watches baseball with his clients' kids when they come to visit, and he rarely misses a Washington Nationals game.