Joseph Thomas (Joe) Mattson is a life long resident of Delaware County. Joe attended Monsignor Bonner High School, Villanova University (Magna Cum Laude) and Villanova University School of Law.
Joe was admitted to the Practice of Law in October 1978. Besides being admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, he is admitted to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals as well as the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Delaware and Chester County Bar Associations as well as the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Joe began his practice in 1978 with the Upper Darby Law Firm of Donohue& McKee, which became Donohue, McKee, Mattson & Green, Ltd., and finally Donohue, McKee & Mattson, Ltd., practicing in Havertown since 1983. Joe began his career as a “General Practitioner” which was quite common for most Delaware County Attorneys at that time. The General Practice of Law exposed him to a wide variety of legal areas, including Personal Injury, Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense, Workers Compensation, Domestic Relations (now Family Law), Adoptions, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Zoning, Estate Planning and Administration, Orphans’ Court Litigation, Arbitration and Mediation, Business Formation, Representation and Asset Sales and Acquisitions.
Joe is an active member of the Delaware County Bar Association. He served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2006 until 2014 and served as President of the Association in 2012. He was charged with chairing the search committee for a new Executive Director in 2010. He was Chair of the Membership Committee from 2002 until 2012. He is presently Co-Chair of the Judicial Selection and Retention Committee and Memorial Resolution Committee, which commemorates deceased members of the Bar Association. He serves on several other committees as well as an Officer of the Delaware County Bar Foundation. He is currently treasurer of the G. Guy DeFuria Inn of Court. He has served as a Zone 9 Delegate to the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates, an appointed position, since 2013.
Joe has been active in numerous Community/Volunteer organizations over his career, including the Community YMCA of Eastern Delaware County (and now serves as Solicitor) , the Rotary Club of Upper Darby, the St. Pius X Boy Scout Troop 468, the Marple Township Youth Aid Panel, the Langstoon Homeowners Association and as President of the Monsignor Bonner High School Alumni Association. He was a Mock Trial Attorney Advisor at Malvern Preparatory School from 1999 - 2015 and Villa Maria Academy from 2016 to 2024. He served as Judge of Elections in Haverford Township from 1987 to 1991.
Joe is a well respected seasoned practitioner, litigator and Counselor. Today he is concentrating his practice in the areas of Estate Planning and Administration, Business Formation and Representation, Civil and Orphans’ Court Litigation and Real Estate. He also makes himself available to counsel and assist young lawyers navigate the intricacies of the modern practice of law. He has been recognized for his skill and experience by the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas for whom he serves on a case-by-case basis as court appointed counsel for older adults in Guardianship Proceedings. He has also accepted appointments from the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as a Conservator for Law Practices for Pennsylvania Lawyers who pass away while still active and who have not identified a successor to that practice.
Joe and his wife, Mary Pat, have been married since 1977 and reside in Marple Township. He is the father of 5 children, including Michael J. Mattson, Esquire, partner in the firm, and the grandfather of 11. He enjoys reading history, target shooting, swimming and enjoying family in Ocean City, NJ.