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Nutter Names Mary E. Connolly Chief Practice Officer
Print PDFNutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP today announced that Mary E. Connolly has joined the firm as Chief Practice Officer, a new firmwide leadership role focused on supporting Nutter’s continued growth and the development of its professional team. She will report to the firm’s Co-Managing Partners and work closely with the Firm’s Department and Practice Group chairs, its Chief Operating Officer, and other firm leaders on strategic planning, lateral attorney integration, and investments in the Firm’s practice initiatives. Connolly brings two decades of practice management and operational leadership in global law firms and professional services organizations. She joins Nutter from Zenith Legal, where she was a Senior Director, advising law firms on market mapping, talent strategy, and practice expansion. Previously, she was Managing Director of Operations at the family office of a leading global technology investor, where she was a key strategic and operational adviser to the COO, oversaw business operations and talent management across multiple locations worldwide, and led the team’s early integration of enterprise AI tools.
Connolly has held senior roles in business development, marketing, and practice management at several professional services firms. As Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Isaacson, Miller, she implemented go-to-market plans across 11 practice areas and developed individual business development plans for more than 40 partners. At Goodwin, Connolly worked in both Boston and London, and served as the Firm’s first International Marketing and Business Development Director, where she supported the launch of new offices and the integration of more than 50 lateral partners and counsel across the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Hong Kong. Earlier in her career, she was a Practice Manager at both Skadden and Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C., and later served as Practice Management and Business Development Manager at Goulston & Storrs in Boston.
Connolly joins Nutter at a time of significant growth. In 2025, Nutter expanded its presence in California, New York, and Hawaii. In Connolly’s new role, she will help the Firm build on that momentum by aligning the Firm’s capabilities with evolving client needs on a national level, and continuing its investment in the Firm’s practice initiatives.
“Mary’s arrival reflects where we are as a firm,” said Michael E. Scott, Co-Managing Partner. “We didn’t create this role to manage the firm we are today, but for the firm that we are building. We have set an ambitious growth agenda across our practices and offices, and executing on it requires someone who can translate strategy into operational reality. Mary has done exactly that throughout her career, and she understands that growth only creates value when new people and new practices are genuinely integrated.”
“Mary has spent her career building bridges between practice groups, between lateral hires and legacy relationships, and between data and decision-making,” said Liam O’Connell, Co-Managing Partner. “That is precisely the capability our growth and investment strategy demands, and we are glad she chose Nutter. I’m confident that Mary will be a significant contributor to both the Firm’s continued growth plans and its initiatives that focus on excellence with our present team.”
“What drew me to Nutter is the opportunity to shape what comes next,” said Connolly. “That means positioning our practices to grow with purpose—knowing where they can lead, aligning talent and resources behind the priorities that matter most, and building for where our clients are headed. I look forward to working alongside our practice leaders to turn that ambition into results.”
Connolly holds an MBA from the University of Maryland, an MA in political science from the University of Rhode Island, and a BA in international relations from Webster University.
About Nutter
Nutter is a full-service law firm delivering sophisticated legal counsel to industry-leading companies, entrepreneurs, institutions, foundations, and families across the United States and globally. With offices in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Orinda, and practices spanning business and finance, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and land use, labor and employment, tax, and trusts and estates, Nutter has built its practice on a consistent commitment to excellence in the provision of legal services to its clients. The firm is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading law firms by Chambers, Best Lawyers, and The Legal 500. Nutter achieved its strongest-ever showing in Chambers USA 2026, with 27 attorneys ranked as leaders in their fields across 10 practice areas in Massachusetts and New York, including Band 1 rankings in Banking & Financing, Real Estate, and Zoning/Land Use. Learn more at nutter.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.
