Mary J. Murray

Mary is handling our custody case with professional expertise and expedience. She has made this frightening and stressful experience endurable. From the first meeting to date, she has been accessible by phone, text and email. She and her staff have been hardworking and thorough. Mary is compassiona...te, knowledgeable and straightforward. She develops a strategy and sets her plan in motion. She is encouraging throughout the process and explains clearly what to expect in each phase. Mary is a confident and committed lawyer and maintains a professional yet formidable presence in court. She is supportive and encouraging no matter how dirty and aggressive the opposing side becomes. As we move through this custody process, we are confident that Mary will see us through to a happy ending. She is a strong advocate for children and families. We would highly recommend her.

I came to Mary presenting a difficult child custody challenge and detailed to her specifically what I was hoping to accomplish. She was forthright about where I should set my expectations (as they were initially both too high and too low) and we began developing a sensible legal strategy. What I quic...kly discovered is that Mary is a hard-working (and sometimes overworked), thoughtful, honest family law attorney. There is no attitude or pretense. I always felt like I was getting straightforward counsel and not once did I feel as though I was a bother to her as she was incredibly responsive. Two particular areas of her practice deserve praise. She shines in her research, writing and preparation. I always had access to every document related to my case. She has honed her courtroom presence, never seeming flustered by grumpy judges or overzealous opposing counsel. I couldn't be more pleased with the partnership we created and the positive results of our efforts. Family law is a hard business, especially when there are children involved. My ex used an aggressive as well as manipulative move that left me numb. My first reaction was to get nasty back. And that is not a good place to be in with the parent of your child, and Mary was able to remind me of that. She pushed for collaboration, mediation, encouraged us to settle and not go to court, and continued to remind me to think about the big picture for our children. We did end up successfully mediating, but sadly ended up going to court numerous times after I thought everything had been resolved. I could not have had better representation. Mary remained utterly committed to me even after mediation. Due to numerous Rules to Show Cause, Mary kept my ex accountable. She was by my side at all times and I am absolutely confident she will be if I need her in the future. Mary is a smart, thoughtful, effective attorney who approaches law the way you would want your advocate to represent you. Above all, she is a person of integrity, who approaches things calmly, strategically and with a solid understanding of the law. She will counsel you, help you, empower you to make good decisions for yourself. Mary is the attorney for people who have a life and want to get on with it, rather than spending every last bit of energy fighting it out in the courts. Despite the tremendous task I presented her with, Mary orchestrated a victorious outcome. Through wisdom, good intuition, perseverance, and unparalleled dedication, she served as a smart counsel, a mentor, a coach, and a trustworthy ally. I am so grateful to her for representing me and advocating for my family so we could rebuild our lives and start a new life. Mary is a caring, trustworthy, knowledgeable, highly dedicated, approachable and yet an assertive attorney. She possesses qualities other attorneys do not; qualities that can make a tremendous and meaningful difference when going through difficult times.

We were involved in a custody case over a grandson. We spent almost a year with a different lawyer. After mediation failed and we were not getting responses from our lawyer, with only three weeks to go before trial, we got some advice to talk with other lawyers. We sat down with Mary and within minu...tes she became enthusiastic and wanted to take on our case. With only a few days before trial and we talked and communicated with Mary almost every day. Discoveries that should have been done much earlier were handled first and then we started on the information we had to retain custody. She gave us realistic advice on the outcome we should expect, but she said our case was good enough to go for everything and she was confident we would get what was best for our grandson. We sat down face to face 3 or 4 times. She was specific about what she needed from us and if we had questions they were answered by her or her paralegal (who is also outstanding) within a day if not hours. She met with us on a Saturday. I cannot over emphasize how enthusiastic Mary was about our case and how involved she became in such a short period of time. Mary coached us on what kind of questions we could expect at trial and even came up with a list of questions that we answered so she could review them. If anyone asks us for a good family attorney, Mary Murray will be the one we recommend.

Mary Murray saved my life! Although this phrase is often used in hyperbole, it can also be used to describe the work of doctors, paramedics, and other specialists. It is hard to imagine a moment in your ordinary life where this phrase might apply to the work of an attorney, but perhaps you have...n’t found yourself in family court. To say that divorce is difficult is an understatement. Divorce is a hellish experience. Rarely is anyone prepared for the mental, emotional and even physical effort that is required in the months ahead. I found myself in Mary’s office terrified, trembling, and disoriented. One day after receiving a devastating judgment whereby I lost all custody and visitation rights to my son. The ruling was made pending the results of extensive drug and alcohol testing based on false and deliberate allegations made against me by my husband, a drug and alcohol researcher. Given his work as a drug & alcohol counselor, he was well aware of family court processes related to drug, alcohol, and substance abuse, including the mere allegations of abuse. Initially, there doesn’t seem to be much difference. Having originally retained a dishonest, insincere, and ultimately unethical attorney, I had very little time and even fewer options. Despite what seemed like insurmountable odds, Mary agreed to represent me. With less than 3 days to prepare she took my case. She listened to my saga and I know that she believed me. As an attorney, she is honest, realistic, and deliberate in her approach. Best of all, Mary is fearless. She will not be intimidated, she will not back down, and she is not afraid to fight. I never questioned her commitment. I always knew she had my back. For me, Mary changed the game. She climbed up the mountain with me, won us both some victories, and all the while, she never doubted we’d prevail. Ultimately she settled my divorce, and most importantly of all, returned my son to me. There is much more to this story, (as it often goes) but without exaggeration, I can say that Mary Murray saved my life.