Mary McKelvey is a fierce and highly respected trial attorney who is influential in every aspect of her career: litigating difficult cases for national and global clients, assuming leadership positions at the state and local bar levels, negotiating difficult situations, creating strategies for resolution, handling high stakes pro bono cases, supporting the next generation of women lawyers, mentoring at-risk non-lawyer women, and proactively influencing key issues in both the legal and larger community.

Mary has been successfully trying to verdict high stakes cases involving complex torts, product liability and premises liability in various jurisdictions for over 20 years. In addition to her extensive trial experience, Mary has a wide range of experience in all stages of litigation. Mary masterfully presents facts, concepts, historical data, scientific data, and other complicated issues in and engages in ways that jurors and judges can understand, appreciate, and use to arrive at decisions favorable to her clients.

Mary currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the California Lawyers Association Litigation Section and previously served on the Executive Committee for the State Bar of California Litigation Section. Mary also serves as a Past President of Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (“WLALA”) and has served on WLALA’s Executive Committee since 2017 and on its Board of Governors since 2012.

Mary has a deep passion for pro bono work and serves in the leadership group of Polsinelli’s Pro Bono Committee. In her own words, “Doing pro bono work has allowed me glimpses into realities of the lives of others I would not otherwise have encountered. It has allowed me a multi-dimensional perspective on important issues such as immigration policies and the effectiveness of our criminal justice system. It has allowed me to assist others that I would never even have had the privilege of encountering but for my handling of their matter on a pro bono basis.”