Mary Braisted

Bar Admissions and Accreditations: Supreme Court for the State of New York, State of New Jersey, District of Columbia, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, United States Supreme Court, and Department of Veterans Affairs accredited attorney

Originally from New York City, Mary earned a B.A. from Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., double majoring in Computer Science and Business Management with a minor in Legal Studies (obtained from New York Law School).

She then went on to earn a J.D. at Western New England University School of Law in Springfield, MA., with a concentration in International Law. She was selected as a member of the Jessup International Moot Court team. While there she studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, through the College of William and Mary at the prestigious Collegia Mayor De San Pablo Institute, where she studied Comparative Civil Law and the law governing the then existing EEC.

The summer after studying abroad, Mary interned in Washington, D.C., at the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution under the direction of the former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Warren E. Burger. She drafted vignettes on the Bill of Rights for publication in educational manuals edited and subject to the former Chief Justice’s approval.

After graduating from law school, Mary was admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. Soon thereafter, Mary received a Direct Commission to serve in the U.S. Army Judge Advocated General’s Corps. It was during this time that she was stationed with the 8th Army, Yongsan, Korea, where she met her Army aviator husband. In the Army, she practiced several areas of law to include personnel claims law, federal torts claims, legal assistance, and operational law. However, twenty of her twenty-four years were spent in criminal appellate law, gaining experience representing both the government and the defense in the appellate arena.

While in the Army, Mary received an LLM in Estate Planning and Elder Law, with an emphasis in Special Needs Trusts and Veterans Benefits. The years in the Military, along with growing up with a sister with special needs, made these two areas of law a perfect fit for her.

Prior to Arriving at Jackson and MacNichol, Mary worked as an Attorney Advisor for the Appeals Council at the Social Security Administration reviewing Administrative Law Judges’ decisions. She also continues to represent, Pro Bono, Veterans seeking discharge upgrades from “less than honorable discharges” before the Army Discharge Review Board.

In January 2023, Mary was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar and was recently accredited to practice before the Board of Veteran’s Appeals.

Married to her active duty husband for twenty-seven years, Mary and her family moved seven times in fifteen years. She and her husband retired from the army and now divide their time between Virginia and Arizona. They have two young adult children and a yorkie, Mojo. In her free time, Mary enjoys golf, pickleball, pilates, and cooking.