Jessica Backer Brand, Esq.

Jessica Backer Brand, Esq. is a principal attorney with Vella Carbone & Vinson, having joined the firm in 2018. Jessica graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and received her law degree from Albany Law School, with a concentration in Family and Elder Law. She served as Managing Editor of Research and Writing on the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology. She has extensive legal experience, having worked as Assistant Attorney General with the New York State Office of the Attorney General, in private practice in the fields of estate planning, elder law and environmental law, and in the non-for-profit sector. Jessica has presented before numerous organizations on the topics of estate planning and administration, advance directives and guardianship.

Jessica’s legal practice includes assisting families in creating estate plans that reflect her clients’ personal values and protect their assets, and guiding clients through the estate administration process following the death of a loved one. Additionally, she provides advice and counsel pertaining to advance directives such as Powers of Attorney and Health Care Proxies and has litigated cases involving involuntary admission, retention and treatment over objection.

Outside of the office, Jessica is actively involved in her community. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Albany County Family Court Children’s Center, the Professional Advisors Council of the Community Foundation of the Greater Capital Region, and Bethlehem Senior Projects, an organization dedicated to supporting older adults in the Town of Bethlehem. Jessica has conducted alumni interviews for Bates College and is a volunteer attorney with The Legal Project.

• New York, 1998
• U.S. District Court Northern District of New York, 2002

• New York State Bar Association
• Capital District Women’s Bar Association