In 1988, Mary M. York and Rosemary S. Mulryan formed one of the first lesbian-owned law firms in Chicago. Over time, Rosemary became well established as a leading Chicago-area practitioner of adoption law. Mary built a thriving real estate and business practice. Throughout its tenure, while serving the legal needs of a diverse client community, the firm has purposefully and continuously dedicated time, energy, and resources to legal assistance for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) communities.
Mulryan & York's primary goal has been to help protect the integrity of LGBT families, relationships, and institutions. The attorneys spoke—and Rosemary continues to speak—on topics ranging from estate planning to adoption before such community organizations as Affinity Community Services, Amigas Latinas, Dignity/Chicago, Chicago Women's Health Center, Howard Brown Health Center, The Cradle, Midwest Adoption Conference, and Rainbow Families of Illinois. Along with taking on a significant advocacy role for the community, Mary and Rosemary served as role models for aspiring lawyers, speaking often to law students and recent graduates.
Prior to her untimely death in 2008, Mary York served on the boards of many LGBT organizations and provided pro bono legal services to those organizations and others. Rosemary Mulryan was co-counsel with Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund in the precedent-setting case In re K.M., 653 N.E.2d 888 (Ill. App. Ct. 1995), in which the court held that the state Adoption Act does not exclude unmarried individuals from adopting children together, thereby allowing same-sex couples to adopt. She has been active at the board level in a number of community organizations and is an effective fundraiser.
Today, Rosemary continues the tradition of community service which has been a hallmark of the firm since its inception.