Attorney at Law
Ellen joined True Estate Planning as an Estate Planning Attorney with a strong background in elder law, Medicaid planning, and estate planning. She has spent her career focused on long-term care planning, working primarily with clients in their mid-80s who are entering a nursing home and need immediate, practical solutions for paying for care. Her work also extends to family caregivers navigating the legal challenges that come with that role, as well as clients managing Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid benefits outside of the nursing home setting. She is a trained mediator and experienced public speaker who brings a collaborative, client-focused approach to every matter.
Ellen is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, its Missouri chapter, and the Certified Senior Advisors organization. She holds current accreditation with the Department of Veterans Affairs and has served her community through the Old Jamestown Association, the Christian Hospital Foundation, the St. Ferdinand Annual Thanksgiving Dinner, and pro bono legal work with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Outside the office, Ellen and her husband Jim have been married for 43 years and have called the St. Louis area home for nearly 50 of them. Ellen was born in Milwaukee and raised in Barbados and Massachusetts, and the two have long made St. Louis their own. Jim works as a Zooline Railroad Engineer at the St. Louis Zoo. Their home has always had an open door for strays, and their current household includes Ted, a five-year-old pittie mix, and Max, a rescued cat whose favorite hobbies are naps and birdwatching.
Bar Admissions
- State of Missouri Bar – 2011
- Department of Veterans Affairs Accreditation – Current
Education
- Saint Louis University – Bachelor of Arts, Organizational Administration
- Washington University in St. Louis – Master of Information Management – 1991
- Saint Louis University School of Law – Juris Doctor – 2010