Matt is partner concentrating his practice in the area of
elder law, estate administration, and Medicaid planning. In his Medicaid
planning practice, Matt works with families to preserve their assets, while
obtaining access to necessary long term care services. Matt has been a Legal
Services Provider for the Saratoga County Office for the Aging for over a
decade and previously served as the Saratoga County Examiner of Guardianship
Accounts. Matt is a frequent lecturer on elder law issues for the State and
County Bar Associations, as well as the Office for the Aging and Community
Hospice.
Matt is a member of the New York State Bar Association and
the Elder Law Section. He also served as an elected representative to the New
York State Bar Association House of Delegates between 2003 and 2005. Based on
Matt’s professional background and long history of community service, the
Saratoga County Bar Association nominated Matt in 2007 for a New York State Bar
Association Outstanding Lawyer Award.
Matt’s interest in the well being of our elderly led him to
establish the Saratoga Springs Memory Walk for the benefit of the Alzheimer’s
Association in 1997. Matt served as Chairman of the Memory Walk from 1997 to
2001. The Saratoga Springs Memory Walk has been held annually since 1997 and
has raised over $1 million dollars since its inception. In December, 2000, Matt
was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the Adirondack Branch of the
Alzheimer’s Association.
Matt served as City Attorney for the City of Saratoga
Springs from 2004 to 2006. During his tenure, Matt acted as the primary staff
person responsible for the City’s purchase of six unique open space parcels, totaling
100 acres. Matt also drafted the first revision of the City of Saratoga Springs
Ethics Code in over thirty years. Matt served as Special Counsel to the City in
the defense of tax assessment cases between 2002 and 2006 and as Assistant City
Attorney from 1996 to 1999. After leaving the City of Saratoga Springs, Matt
represented the Town of Queensbury defending a tax assessment challenge case
involving millions of dollars in assessed value. Matt has also successfully
handled numerous tax assessment challenges for private landowners, resulting in
significant reductions in their assessments.
Matt is a Member of the Saratoga Springs Rotary Club and
served as Club President. He is also a Board Member and Secretary of the
Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation. The Foundation raises funds for
and manages an endowment for the Rotary scholarship program, which provides
over $40,000 in scholarship funding every year to area high school students.
Matt is a prior recipient of the Outstanding Young Leader Award
from the Greater Saratoga Springs Jaycees. He is a 1998 graduate of the
Leadership Saratoga Program, created by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
to develop community leaders in the Greater Saratoga area.
Presentations
& Publications
Presentations
• Elder Law Planning Basics
Vital Aging Network Annual Meeting
2010
Publications
• Medicaid Eligibility After Giving Has Occurred
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• Tax Changes to Keep in Mind for 2014
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• Elder Abuse: What Is It and What Can You Do To Prevent It?
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• Ask the Lawyer: How Do Medicaid Penalty Periods Work?
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• Significant Changes in the NYS Estate Tax Law
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• Ask the Lawyer: NYS Estate Tax Changes
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• Ask the Lawyer: What is a Guardianship?
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2014
• The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• What to do When Medicare Doesn't Cover You at the Hospital
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• How Your Assets Pass Within and Outside of Your Estate
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• Ask the Lawyer: How Does Medicare Work?
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• Planning for the Financial Future of Your Special Needs
Child
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• What to Do When Your Spouse Applies for Medicaid
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• Ask the Lawyer: How do I Provide for My Final Wishes?
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• How to Choose a Nursing Home for Your Loved One
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
• Ask the Lawyer: Q&A on Reverse Mortgages
Trusts, Estates & Elder Law Update
2013
Professional
& Civic Leadership
Professional
Associations
• New York State Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association
Elder
Law Section
• New York State Bar Association
Trusts
and Estates Law Section
• Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York
• Saratoga County Bar Association
• Saratoga Springs Rotary Club
Board
Memberships
• Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation
Secretary, Board of Directors
• Saratoga Springs Rotary
President
2012 – 2013
Awards
• Outstanding Lawyer Nomination to NYS Bar Association
Saratoga County Bar Association
2007
• Paul Harris Fellow
Saratoga Springs Rotary Club
2004
• Volunteer of the Year
Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern NY
2000
• Outstanding Young Leader Award
Greater Saratoga Springs Jaycees