Congratulating Mary Grady for 30 Years at Bulman Dunie!

Please join us in congratulating Mary Grady on her 30-year anniversary at Bulman Dunie!

Mary began working as the law firm’s bookkeeper full-time in July 1994, when the firm was still operating out of a house on Arlington Road in Bethesda, immediately across from Bethesda Elementary School.

Former partners Maurie Dunie and Mark Shupe interviewed Mary over a relaxed lunch in downtown D.C., where she was working at the time. They asked her no questions about her accounting skills. Mary remembers Maurie later sharing with her that they knew she was qualified before they met with her. They only asked her to lunch to assess whether she would be a good personality fit – which, of course, she was. Maurie and Mark called to offer Mary the position immediately after returning to the law firm that afternoon.

Over the last thirty (30) years, Mary has handled every aspect of the books at Bulman Dunie with a keen eye toward ensuring a steady flow of revenue. Mary recalls the days when she entered attorney time manually after attorneys would provide her with handwritten notes of their hours in 10-minute increments.

Mary attended night classes while working full-time at Bulman Dunie, ultimately securing her Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree through the University of Maryland. And she never let her coursework interfere with her job.

Former managing partner Alan Feld, Esq., recalls Mary’s “proven ability to keep the firm’s business end running smoothly, through incredible dedication, devotion and dignity.” This perhaps was most visible after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mary seamlessly transitioned to managing the firm’s books from home while simultaneously attending to her treatments for a sudden and serious leukemia diagnosis.

Over the years, Mary worked most closely with Mark Shupe, Esq. Since Mark’s retirement, partner Dan Shaivitz took the helm as CFO in what Mary describes as a “seamless transition.” But Mary and Mark have stayed in close touch, visiting one another from time to time and sharing news about their respective families as the years pass.

In addition to the relationships she has developed with her colleagues at Bulman Dunie over the years, Mary cherishes the opportunities she has had to travel regularly to conferences across the U.S. (Las Vegas, Raleigh, Tennessee, and Florida) hosted by our timekeeping software company (Juris), to stay current on updates in timekeeping technology. This is especially true since she’s no longer manually entering attorney time!

When she’s not working, Mary enjoys spending time with her extended family, including her niece, who lives with her in Lanham, and her relatives who live in North Carolina, where she keeps a boat and enjoys fishing for speckled trout, catfish, or “whatever else is out there.” Mary is also an active member of the Adonai Ministry International Church, where you will find her most Sundays.

We are all lucky to have had Mary working at the firm for the last 30 years. And we look forward to many more!