RACHEL BALDASSARO

Managing Attorney

Rachel S. Baldassaro is a Managing Attorney at Center for Elder Law & Justice. Prior to this role, Rachel was the Supervising Attorney for the organization’s MedLaw Partnership of Western New York. The MedLaw Partnership is a medical-legal partnership between Center for Elder Law & Justice, Erie County Medical Center, and Kaleida Health, with the goal of improving health outcomes and quality of life for individuals through access to free civil legal services.  She is a frequent speaker on elder law matters and the intersection of law and health. 

Prior to joining CELJ, Rachel worked as a staff attorney at Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc., where she oversaw the Unemployment Insurance Benefits Program. She also worked as a Labor Relations Specialist for Monroe-2 Orleans BOCES, where she counseled more than 20 Rochester, New York area school districts on labor and employment issues and matters relating to education law.

She is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County and the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, Western New York Chapter, and serves as a member of the Fundraising Board Committee for the SPCA of Erie County. In 2010, Rachel was the recipient of the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc. Ruth Ritchell Memorial Award for her dedication to pro bono legal services in the Buffalo community. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo and received her Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law.