Mary Morrissey Sullivan

SULLIVAN, Mary Morrissey – 73, of Marshfield, formerly of Cohasset, Scituate and Boston passed away suddenly on March 3, 2022 from complications of open-heart surgery. She was the beloved wife of Mark L. Sullivan, with whom she recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Born in Cambridge, she was the daughter of the late Paul and Margaret “Peggy” (Lordan) Morrissey. She was a 1965 graduate of Rose Hawthorne High School in Concord, MA where she was class valedictorian. Mary earned her Bachelor’s degree from Regis College in 1969 and went on to achieve her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1972 where she was an editor on the Law Review.

After law school, Mary was hired by the law firm of Parker, Coulter, Daley & White as an associate working on appellate briefs, but rapidly moved on to trying cases. In the span of only 4 ½ years she became the first woman partner in the firm’s long history and one of only a few women partners in major law firms in Boston at the time. She helped develop and later headed the pharmaceutical litigation section of the firm. She was asked by several pharmaceutical companies to become part of their local and national trial teams overseeing and litigating cases across the nation in class action and mass tort product liability lawsuits, involving the anti-miscarriage drug DES, the Dalcon Shield IUD, the tampon related toxic shock syndrome cases, and other large complex litigation matters. In 1987 she left her firm to join her husband, Mark L. Sullivan (whom she had met and married in law school) to form Sullivan, Sullivan & Pinta (later Sullivan, Sullivan & Nahigian). She and her 7-person firm were involved in nationwide litigation with some of the biggest law firms in America that helped define and limit the concept of market share liability in Massachusetts and in a variety of other states. She headed up the national trial team in the Accutane suicide litigation in 16 states across the country, ultimately winning by trial or obtaining dismissals in all 100+ cases. In 2003, her firm merged with the Boston law firm of Peabody & Arnold. As a defense attorney in her 37 years of trial practice, she only lost one case that she tried in court. She belonged to the International Association of Defense Counsel and often spoke at legal conferences and seminars. Equally important to her was training young lawyers how to practice law with excellence, hard work, creativity, passion, adherence to the highest ethical standards and caring for both the client and the law. Mary was widely respected and admired locally and around the country both by other defense counsel and the plaintiffs’ attorneys she opposed. She was the mentor and role model for a number of women lawyers in the Boston legal community who have gone on to reach the top of their field. In 2009, she retired from the law due to health reasons, but remained active in charity work, especially with the Scituate Knights of Columbus where she ran or participated in a number of successful fundraisers. Mary loved traveling the world, scuba diving, “cooking for applause,” mentoring young girls on life skills and growing up with confidence and a fearless spirit, reading true crime books and watching true crime TV, going to the theater, planning adventure trips for her women friends, throwing great parties and laughing with friends. She was gracious, generous and full of gratitude for life’s blessings. Most of all she loved her husband, Mark, and living life’s adventures with him for 52 wonderful years.

She was the loving sister in law of Paul M. Sullivan and his wife Carolyn King Sullivan of Exeter, NH, Kevin J. Sullivan and his wife Cynthia of N. Andover, Mary A. Sullivan of Sparks, Nevada, Brian J. Sullivan and his wife Margaret of Cape Coral, FL and the late Philip F. Sullivan of Andover. Dear aunt of Brianna Sullivan of Malden. She is also survived by many cousins who were like brothers and sisters to her and far too many dear friends to mention.

A visitation will take place Friday, March 11, 2022 4:00-8:00 PM at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Road, Scituate. Funeral Mass Saturday, March 12, 2022 10:00 AM at St. Mary of the Nativity Church, 1 Kent Street, Scituate.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Covenant House or to Holy Union Sisters in Milton, MA.