Mary Gay Scanlon

Mary Gay Scanlon is Pro Bono Counsel at Ballard Spahr. She also serves as the firm's liaison to Constitution High School, a School District of Philadelphia magnet school at which Ballard Spahr has developed a diversity pipeline program.

Ms. Scanlon was a trial lawyer at a major law firm for six years before joining the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of parents and students. During eight years with ELC, she represented parents and students individually and in class actions. She also worked on an array of educational reform initiatives, including drafting legislation, testifying before the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and as an appointee to two interagency councils charged with monitoring and implementing federal special education laws in the state.

Representative Matters 

• Represented parents and students in a federal class action to reform an academically distressed school district 
• Represented families in a federal class action and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to enforce federal law requiring the state to operate an effective special education complaint system 
• Drafted legislation to implement federal special education laws requiring planning and services to help students with special needs transition from school to adult life 
• Testified before the Pennsylvania House Education Committee in support of amendments to the zero tolerance law
  

Pro Bono Experience

Child advocacy

Education

Public benefits

Custody

Adoption

Litigation

Protection From Abuse

Violence Against Women Act

Immigration

Guardianship

Voting rights

Landlord/tenant

Simple wills

Class actions

Judicial Clerkships

Hon. J. Sydney Hoffman, Superior Court of Pennsylvania 

Professional Activities

American Bar Association

Philadelphia Bar Association
Co-chair, Law Firm Pro Bono Committee, 2004-present; past Chair, Commission on Children at Risk; past Chair, Legal Rights of Children Committee

Association of Pro Bono Counsel

Recognition & Accomplishments

Recipient, Philadelphia Bar Association Fidelity Award, presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to improving the administration of justice

Publications

"Increasing Pro Bono Work in a Recession—Are You Kidding?!" The Legal Intelligencer, January 20, 2009

"How Pro Bono Programs Build Law Firm Identity," The Legal Intelligencer, January 2008

"Doing Well While Doing Good: Pro Bono Work as an Integral Part of Associate Development," The Legal Intelligencer, August 2006

Speaking Engagements

Course planner and presenter, "Hours, Caps and Bonuses as Pro Bono Incentives & Disincentives," Association of Pro Bono Counsel Seminar, Las Vegas, May 2011

"Law Firm Associate Externs: Best Practices To Institutionalize the Externship Model," ABA Equal Justice Conference, Las Vegas, May 2011

Ethics and Pro Bono CLE program, Philadelphia, December 2010

"Lawyering in the Public Interest," University of Pennsylvania Law School seminar, November 30, 2009

"Why Pro Bono?" Dispute Resolution Institute, April 9, 2008

"Spotlight on Philadelphia: Constitution High School," NALP Diversity Summit, March 28, 2008

Community Activities

Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, Board of School Directors, 2007-present (President, 2009-present); Tax Commission, Vice Chair, 2006-2007

Board Memberships

Constitution High School Advisory Board

Philadelphia Legal Assistance Corporation, founding member, past board member and officer

Philly VIP

Support Center for Child Advocates, past board member

University of Pennsylvania Law School Public Interest Program Advisory Board, past member

University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D. 1984)

Colgate University (B.A. 1980)

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit