Mary left a career in journalism to study law, and established her own firm as a solicitor. At the Bar she has worked mainly in family law, including as counsel for the Independent Children’s Lawyer.   She also appears regularly in the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and before the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Mary is a Nationally Accredited Mediator, having trained through the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators and the Resolution Institute. She is on the list of Family Law Mediators and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners provided by the NSW Bar Association to the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.