Top Rated Estate Planning & Probate Attorney in Dedham, MA

Maria C. Baler is a partner at Samuel, Sayward & Baler LLC. From the firm's offices in Dedham, Massachusetts, she focuses her practice on estate planning, probate matters, and elder law representing clients in the greater Boston metropolitan area and throughout the Commonwealth. Admitted to practice in Massachusetts since 1987, Ms. Baler has been with her current firm since 1991.

Ms. Baler's estate planning practice encompasses the preparation and review of wills, a variety of trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate and gift tax minimization strategies. In her probate and estate administration practice, she provides advice and counsel to both beneficiaries and fiduciaries to ensure the orderly distribution of assets and the payment of related expenses after death. Ms. Baler's elder law practice involves advising elderly clients and their loved ones about issues such as long-term care planning and its costs and Medicaid eligibility. It goes hand in hand with her estate planning practice that encompasses health care and financial powers of attorney and advance medical directives.

Ms. Baler participates in several professional organizations that reflect her interests and practice areas. A former member of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, she is also a member of the Norfolk & Plymouth Estate and Business Planning Council.  Ms. Baler was the 2021 President of the Massachusetts Forum of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc. and continues to serve on its Board of Directors.  Ms. Baler is a 1983 recipient of a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government from Franklin & Marshall College. Her legal education was obtained at Suffolk University Law School, and she served on the Suffolk University Law Review before being awarded her Juris Doctor cum laude in 1987.