Ellen S. Morris is a partner in the law firm of Elder Law Associates PA. She was admitted to practice law in Florida in 1990 and devotes all of her professional time to elder law, wills and trusts, Medicaid and nursing home planning, Medicaid applications, disability planning, special needs trusts, guardianship, asset preservation planning, estate and trust administration, elder law litigation, and nursing home residents' rights litigation.
Ms. Morris was named The Florida Bar Elder Law Section "Member of the Year" in 2008. She was named to Florida Trend magazine's Florida Legal Elite in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. She was chosen as a Florida Super Lawyer from 2009 to 2011 and has an AV® Peer Review Rating, the highest rating afforded an attorney, from Martindale-Hubbell.
Ms. Morris is a graduate of the University of Florida with honors where she received her undergraduate and then her law degree in 1989. Prior to focusing her career on elder law, Ms. Morris practiced as an Assistant State Attorney for Dade County, Florida under the direction of State Attorney Janet Reno.
Ms. Morris serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA) and as Secretary on the Elder Law Executive Committee of the Elder Law Section of The Florida Bar. Previously, she held the position of Legislative Chair of the Elder Law Section of The Florida Bar for seven years. She also served as Co-chair of the Elder Law Section of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association. She is an active member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. In all of these roles, Ms. Morris participates in elder law-related legislative initiatives, devoting much of her time to analyzing new rules and updated regulations affecting seniors and others with disabilities who require government services and protection.
Ms. Morris is an active member of the Joint Public Policy Task Force of the Elder Law Section of The Florida Bar and AFELA. The Task Force reviews rules of The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and ensures that proper watchdog systems and advocacy by elder law attorneys in Florida are in place. Ms. Morris is also active in the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, South Palm Beach County section.
Ms. Morris lectures to other professionals and charitable organizations on a variety of elder law topics, including Medicaid qualification and special needs trusts for disability planning. She was an instructor for Florida Atlantic University's Lifelong Learning Society (LLS) in 2011. She was featured in the Palm Beach Post's Moving Up section for her developing elder law practice and has been quoted in the Palm Beach Post, Wealth (Reuters), Sun-Sentinel and ABC News online.