Mary Lou Conrow

Of Counsel

Contact

Biography

Mary Lou Conrow joined Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP, in 2000 and is Of Counsel with the firm. She has been selected to the Best Lawyers in America© since 2020 in the Labor and Employment – Litigation field. Mary Lou was selected Lawyer of the Year for 2023, in the area of Labor and Employment - Ligation for the Binghamton Area and received the William L. Holcomb Award for Public Service in Labor Relations in 2023. She practices as an arbitrator, mediator and hearing officer. She is currently on the American Arbitration Associations Construction Panel of Arbitrators. She has previously practiced in the labor and employment field, with emphasis on municipal liability, including police and fire disability and retirement claims, labor negotiations, Workers’ Compensation, arbitrations, grievances, discipline, NYSHR and PERB matters. Her previous experience includes private practice in Broome County; Vice President of Workers’ Compensation and Disability for EM Ernst Management; Risk Manager for Broome County; First Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Binghamton; Assistant Broome County Public Defender. Mary Lou is also an owner and President of KHM, Inc., a WBE/DBE Construction company.

Mary Lou is a member of the Broome County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association (Municipal Law Section, Labor Law Section and Dispute Resolution Section). She is also a member of the New York State Association of Self-Insured Counties, the New York State Public Employer Labor Relations Association, the North East Subcontractor’s Association (NESCA); Associated General Contractors of America (AGC); Builders Exchange of the Southern Tier and a member of the St. Bonaventure University National Alumni Association Board. She is also Past President and current member of the Triple Cities Chapter of St. Bonaventure alumni.

Awards

• William L. Holcomb Award for Public Service in Labor Relations, 2023

Presenter

• New York State Retirement Systems

• New York State Association of Career Fire Chiefs

• New York State Association of Fire Chiefs

• The Albany Department of Public Safety

• Executive Services Corps of the Tri-Cities

• New York State Rural Housing Association

• Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar-Municipal Service Division

• New York State Department of Civil Service

• Cornell University Institute of Labor Relations

• New York State Association of Self-Insured Counties

• New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)

• Law Enforcement Training Directors Association of New York State

• Executive Services Corps of the Tri-Cities

• Monroe County Association of Chiefs of Police

• New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR)

• New York State Association of Chiefs of Police

• NYS Conference of Mayors

• NYS City/County Managers Association

• The Broome County Bar Association (Ethics & Professionalism Course)

• New York Association of Fire Districts

Practice Areas

• Litigation

• Labor & Employment

• Alternative Dispute Resolution

Education

Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, New York
- J.D. - 1991
St. Bonaventure University
- B.B.A. - 1986

Certified Legal Specialties

Pro-Bono Activities

Representative Clients

Bar Admissions

New York, 1992
U.S. District Court Northern District of New York, 1992
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 2009
U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 2009
U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 2013

Ancillary Businesses

References

Past Positions

Past member of the Board of Directors of the BC Pops
Current member of the St. Bonaventure University Alumni Association
Co-Chair of the Florida Gulf Coast St. Bonaventure University Alumni Association
Past President of the Binghamton Alumni Association
Served as a member of the St. Bonaventure National Alumni Board for six years
Past member of the Broome County Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee
Past assistant organizer of the “All Paws for a Cause” walk for the YWCA Encore Breast Cancer Prevention group

Professional Associations

Broome County Bar Association, Member
New York State Bar Association, Member
New York State Association of Self-Insured Counties, Member
New York State Public Employer Labor Relations Association, Member

Practice Areas

Litigation
Labor & Employment

Published Works

General Municipal Law Section 207-a Handbook (New York State Association of Fire Chiefs)
Navigating Municipal Employment Issues: Leading Lawyers on Analyzing the Latest Employment Trends, Creating Effective Strategies, and Resolving Conflicts (Inside the Minds): “Managing Municipal Employee and Employer Rights in the Technological Age”
Employment Law 2014: "Recent Decisions from the National Labor Relations Board affecting the Field of Employment Law"