Ellen L. Baker Direct Phone: 845-486-6850 ebaker@mccm.com

Education:
Union College B.A. magna cum laude 1979
Albany Law School of Union University, J.D. cum laude 1982

Admitted to Practice:
New York, 1983
US District Court, Northern District, 1983
US District Court, Southern District, 1986

Affiliations:
National Association of Elder Law Attorneys.
Hudson Valley Estate Planning Council
Dutchess County Bar Association (Treasurer, 1992-1993; Secretary 1993-1994)
New York State Bar Association (Member, House of Delegates, 1989-1994; Member, Real Property, Estates & Trusts and Elder Law Sections)
Mid Hudson Women's Bar Association (President 1987-1988)

Civic:
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Anderson Educational Foundation (Chair 2000-2008)
Lifetime Honorary Membership for Anderson Center for Autism/Anderson Center Services (ACA/ACS)
Dutchess Community College Foundation (Secretary 2005-2007)
Former member of the Board of Directors of the Southlands Foundation (Secretary 2002-2006) and The Childrens' Fund of the Astor Home

Estate Planning:
Development of Estate Plans for individuals and the preparation of estate planning documents, including Wills, Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Life Insurance Trusts, Generation Skipping Trusts and Charitable Trusts.

Creation of Estate and Gift Tax Plans to reduce or avoid taxation.

Assisting business owners in planning for the transfer of the business to a younger generation.

Estate and Trust Administration:
Assisting Executors, Trustees and Administrators with all aspects of the administration of Estates and Trusts.  Services include probate of Will, marshaling of assets, preparation of estate tax returns, sale and distribution of assets, preparation and filing of accountings and discharge of fiduciaries.

Elder Law:
Development of plans for possible incapacity, or need for nursing home care, including preparation of Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, Living Wills and Medicaid Trusts.

Applications for appointment of guardians for the incapacitated and developmentally disabled under Article 81 of the Mental Hygiene Law and Article 17A of the Surrogate's Court Procedure Act.

Ellen is a native of Kingston, New York.  She now resides in Rhinebeck with her husband Jim, an electrical engineer and their three children, Laura, Rachel and Adam.

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