Our Team
Elizabeth T. McCandless, Esquire
Admitted to practice law in Maine and New York
Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
Highest Martindale-Hubbell Rating (A-V)
Included in Best Lawyers in America
Included in Superlawyers
B.A. in Government, Franklin & Marshall College, 1977
J.D. Hofstra University School of Law, 1982; Associate Editor, Hofstra Law Review
Betsey began her legal career in New York City as an admiralty lawyer with the firm of Haight Gardner. In 1985, she moved to Maine to raise her children and joined the Portland firm of Pierce Atwood. After six years as a litigator, Betsey transitioned to trust and estate law, a practice area better suited to her conciliatory personality and creative skills. In 1992, she co-founded Maine's first boutique trust and estate law firm, McCandless & Hunt, which is now known as McCandless LLC.
Betsey is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a national professional organization to which she was elected in 1995. Betsey serves as a Trustee of the Portland Museum of Art where she is also a member of the Executive Committee and the Collections Committee; she is a Trustee of the Diocesan Funds for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine; and is a member of the Finance Committee of the Hospice of Southern Maine. By appointment of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, she served for nine years on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's Advisory Committee on Probate Rules, including seven years as its Chair; Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Maine Foundation; and a Director of Hospice of Southern Maine. She frequently lectures on charitable giving, estate and trust administration and estate planning. Betsey excels in navigating complex family dynamics, particularly blended families.
Betsey's creativity as a lawyer is complimented by her love of art. She is an artist, working mostly in oil and watercolor, and a collector of current Maine artists. She also enjoys sailing whenever an opportunity arises, watching the Tennis Channel, playing 9 holes of golf and traveling. Betsey is the mother of three adult children and grandmother of three little ones.
Kelly L. Baetz,
Esquire
Admitted to practice law in Maine and Massachusetts
B.A. in European History and Environmental Studies, Bowdoin College, 1996
J.D. and M.S.E.L. Vermont Law School, 2000
Kelly advises individuals and families during the estate planning, estate administration and trust administration processes. Kelly loves working with families and understanding their myriad personalities and intricate dynamics. She enjoys solving problems in a practical and thoughtful way and working collaboratively with family members, financial advisors and accountants as part of one team.
Kelly began her legal career in Massachusetts and came to Maine in 2005 to work in the Environmental Law Group at Verrill Dana, where she was a partner for eight years. She transitioned to the area of Trusts and Estates law in 2017, first joining McCandless LLC in 2018.
Kelly was raised in Virginia but returned to Maine as soon after college as life permitted. She lives in Bath, Maine, with her husband Scott and her son Henry and is thrilled whenever her two adult stepchildren, Madeleine and Eli, come home to Maine. Kelly enjoys all sports but particularly golf. You can find her outside with her family in any season.
Jennifer K. Nakamoto,
Esquire
Admitted to practice law in Maine and California
B.A. in Politics, Pomona College, 2007
J.D. University of California, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), 2013; Editor, UC Law Journal
A native to California, Jennifer began practicing law at a boutique Los Angeles estate planning firm in 2016. She later joined Kopple, Klinger, & Elbaz, LLP, where she specialized in implementing advanced wealth transfer strategies aimed at minimizing estate and income taxes, maximizing asset protection, and effectively distributing wealth to the beneficiaries of high-net worth individuals and families. She also worked with private and public non-profit organizations to obtain tax-exempt status and advised on continuing tax compliance issues that arose under both California and federal law. Jennifer joined McCandless LLC in 2024.
Jennifer’s practice prioritizes collaboration and communication between family members and other third parties including financial advisors, accountants, and corporate trustees. She works to ensure that her clients’ estate planning objectives are achieved in a manner that will avoid future conflict among beneficiaries. With respect to estate administration, she also works with clients to efficiently navigate all stages of the estate administration process by quickly addressing conflicts between family members and avoiding litigation.
Jennifer moved to Maine in 2024 with her husband, two children and dogs to be closer to her husband’s family. She enjoys exploring new places in Maine, gardening, and learning to play pickleball.
Kevin Cassidy
Senior Estate Planning Paralegal
B.A., Bowdoin College, 1985
Kevin began his career at Pierce Atwood and spent ten years in Trusts and Estates Law before joining McCandless LLC in 1995. He loves his work for the challenges it provides and the complex problem-solving required.
Kevin is an avid runner, cross-country skier, kayaker and cyclist. When he is not working or in the outdoors pursuing one of his many active pursuits, he enjoys being at home with his wife and their greyhound.
Kimberly Dunfey
Senior Estate and Trust Administrator
A.B. in Psychology with distinction, University of Maine at Orono, 1982
Kim began her career as a trust and estate administrator with McCandless & Hunt in 1995. After 26 continuous years in the field, Kim continues to handle all tasks related to the administration of decedent’s estates and client’s trusts, including asset collection, asset distribution, trust and estate accounting, estate tax preparation, trust and estate income tax preparation and general trust and estate administration tasks.
Assisting clients through the difficult times after a loved one’s death has been a rewarding experience for Kim and with her years of experience in the field, she can provide the Firm’s clients with the comfort in knowing they are in very good hands, their questions will be answered and the trust or estate tasks that they didn’t even know were necessary, will be accomplished.
Prior to becoming a trust and estate administrator, Kim worked in the bookkeeping department at a large Portland law firm, worked in the ski industry in Vail, Colorado, and worked as a crew member on a private charter sailboat traveling up the east coast as far as Northeast Harbor, Maine and down the east coast to the Caribbean, as far as Grenada. Kim continues to enjoy sailing and skiing with her husband, Sean, and her two adult sons, Braedon and Teagan.
Samantha Labrie
Senior Estate and Trust Paralegal
B.A. in Business and English, Skidmore College, 1990
Samantha began her career as a probate paralegal in 1991 at a local law firm before joining McCandless LLC in 1994. After staying home to raise her sons for seven years, she rejoined McCandless LLC in 2008. As a trust and estate administrator, she handles all tasks related to the administration of decedent’s estates and client’s trusts, including asset collection, asset distribution, trust and estate accounting, estate tax preparation, trust and estate income tax preparation and general trust and estate administration tasks.
Samantha enjoys spending time at the lake and hiking with her husband, John, and her two adult sons, Nate and Joey.
Anne Wilkinson
Legal Assistant
B.A. in Political Science and Economics, Wellesley College, 1989
Anne joined the firm in 2019 after more than 20 years in merchandising at Cole Haan and quickly realized that working at a trust and estate law firm allows her to have a meaningful impact on peoples’ lives. She enjoys interacting with clients and making the estate planning process as seamless and efficient as possible.
Anne is a competitive triathlete and a 5-time Ironman finisher, including the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. A Maine native and a lover of the outdoors, Anne and her husband live in Falmouth and have two adult sons.
Phoebe Ijams
Legal Assistant
B.A. in Anthropology, Rollins College, 2012
Phoebe joined the firm in 2021 after eight years in the real estate industry. Though she is “from away,” her strong family ties to Small Point brought her “home” in 2013. When not working, she enjoys skiing, spin classes and sunny days at the beach with friends and family.