Mary A. Shahverdian

Overview

Learn about Mary

Mary is an Associate in WH Burkley’s Litigation Department and Labor and Employment Group. She became a lawyer to help clients solve problems and values being part of practical, effective resolutions. Her approach is grounded in understanding each client’s unique goals and using that perspective to help resolve disputes.

Mary manages all phases of litigation, from inception through resolution, including initial case intake and assessment, investigation, substantive motion practice, discovery and depositions, alternative dispute resolution, trial, and appeals. She regularly appears in federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania, as well as before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

Mary represents individuals, small businesses, and corporations in commercial litigation matters involving contract disputes, fraud, unjust enrichment, fiduciary duty claims, and other complex business conflicts.  Her employment practice includes matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, termination, contract negotiation and enforcement, wage disputes, and trade secret theft. She also drafts and advises on severance, non-compete, and confidentiality agreements, and counsels employers on best practices for complying with federal and state regulations in employee manuals, policies, and procedures.

Mary chairs WH Burkley’s Summer Associate Program for the Pittsburgh office.

Community Involvement 

• Mary has been an active member of the Junior League of Pittsburgh since 2023, including serving a one-year term on the Management Team.  The Junior League of Pittsburgh, established in 1922, is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.
• Mary is a Young Lawyer Fellow with the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1980 by the Allegheny County Bar Association to conduct a broad range of educational and charitable activities related to the law.  Mary first became involved in the Allegheny County Bar Foundation in 2021, as a Parent Advocate Attorney at the Juvenile Court Project.
• Mary was a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Bar Leadership Initiative an exclusive subsection of the Young Lawyers Division, during the 2024-2025 bar year.  Mary and her classmates organized a fundraising event for the benefit of refugees and immigrants in Western Pennsylvania that was awarded the 2025 Service to the Public Award by the American Bar Association.