Matthew J. Dorsey

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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.

Education

  • Vanderbilt University
  • Brown University, magna cum laude

Presentations

  • Elder Law Planning Basics

Publications

  • Medicaid Eligibility After Giving Has Occurred
  • Tax Changes to Keep in Mind for 2014
  • Elder Abuse: What Is It and What Can You Do To Prevent It?
  • Ask the Lawyer: How Do Medicaid Penalty Periods Work?
  • Significant Changes in the NYS Estate Tax Law
  • Ask the Lawyer: NYS Estate Tax Changes
  • Ask the Lawyer: What is a Guardianship?
  • The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
  • What to do When Medicare Doesn't Cover You at the Hospital
  • How Your Assets Pass Within and Outside of Your Estate
  • Ask the Lawyer: How Does Medicare Work?
  • Planning for the Financial Future of Your Special Needs Child
  • What to Do When Your Spouse Applies for Medicaid
  • Ask the Lawyer: How do I Provide for My Final Wishes?
  • How to Choose a Nursing Home for Your Loved One
  • Ask the Lawyer: Q&A on Reverse Mortgages

Admissions

  • United States District Court, Northern District of New York
  • New York State

Board Memberships

  • Secretary, Board of Directors, Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation
  • President, Saratoga Springs Rotary, 2012 – 2013

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

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
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