Mary Jean Dolan
Of Counsel
Chicago Office
140 S. Dearborn Street, 6th Floor
Chicago, IL 60603
Direct Phone: 312.604.9164
Fax: 312.782.0943
Email: mdolan@ancelglink.com
B.A., University of Notre Dame, high honors (1981)
Mary Jean now focuses her practice on writing legal briefs for the firm’s government clients.
Mary Jean is a highly experienced and well-regarded legal writer. Her amicus brief for the International Municipal Lawyers Association was cited and relied on by the United States Supreme Court in the 2009 case of Pleasant Grove v. Summum. Her many published law review articles on municipal government topics have been cited widely by courts and academics. Her years as a law professor included teaching legal writing.
Mary Jean’s writing is informed by her deep background in the government sector. In her previous position as in-house legal counsel to the City of Chicago, she advised public officials and drafted laws and policies on the full range of municipal and constitutional issues, specializing in the First Amendment. Mary Jean also previously served as Legal Counsel to the Cook County Department on Human Rights and Ethics, where she developed expertise in employment discrimination, sexual harassment, fair housing and ethics.
Publications and Presentations
- Presented Sexual Harassment Training to multiple local governments and businesses (2019-22)
- The Cross National Memorial: At the Intersection of Speech and Religion, 61 CASE WESTERN
- RESERVE LAW REVIEW 1171 (2011)
- The Supreme Court’s First Look at Municipal “Government Speech,” MUNICIPAL LAWYER (July/August 2009)
- The Recent Pleasant Grove Decision: Its Import for IMLA and Municipal Government Speech, International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Seminar, Washington, D.C., April 20, 2009
- Why Monuments are Government Speech: The Hard Case of Pleasant Grove v. Summum, Illinois Municipal League Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, September 25, 2008
- New Risk on an Uncertain Path: Establishment Clause Guidelines for Municipal Aid to Religious Organizations, 49 MUNICIPAL LAWYER 15 (March/April 2008)
- Protecting the Public’s Health: Compelled Isolation & Quarantine and State and Local Coordination, ABA/CDC Regional Conference on Public Health Emergencies and Law, St. Louis, Missouri, May 2006
Hobbies
When she is not writing briefs, Mary Jean enjoys pickleball and cycling.