Principal, the Law Office of Donna
Furey
Counsel to the County Clerk of Queens, the Honorable Gloria
D’Amico
“Everything Starts with a Work
Ethic”
Donna Furey ’01 began her legal career with a boutique intellectual
property firm in New York City - not as an associate, not as an
intern and not as a paralegal, but as a legal secretary.
Intrinsically driven to succeed, coupled with a desire to make a
positive impact on her community, Ms. Furey began night school at
Bernard M. Baruch College where she graduated magna cum
laude. Having secured her undergraduate degree, Ms.
Furey, a life-long resident of Queens County, applied to and was
accepted into the St. John’s Law evening program.
Upon Law School graduation, Ms. Furey worked for three years as an
Associate at a firm that specialized in intellectual property
issues with a focus on protecting underprivileged artists.
While attending a social meeting in her local parish, Ms. Furey was
approached by a number of senior citizens with legal questions
pertaining to estate planning. Gaining more personal
satisfaction from protecting the elderly, she elected to change the
focus of her practice. By taking CLE classes at St. John’s
and assisting an established elder care attorney in Queens, she
gained the experience needed to flourish. Prior to going out
on her own, Ms. Furey worked as an Associate at a firm that truly
focused on elder law issues which gave her total immersion into the
field. Later she was asked to serve part-time as Counsel to
the Hon. Gloria D’Amico. Ms. Furey knew at that point it was
time for her to “hang out her own shingle.” The focus of her
firm is elder law, wills, trusts, estates and Medicaid related
issues. “It’s been a juggling act but so far I’ve been able
to keep all the balls in the air,” noted Furey.
Ms. Furey is active in the St. John’s University School of Law
Alumni Association and received the Recent Graduate Service Award
in 2007. In addition to the alumni association, Ms. Furey is
on the board of directors or an officer of; the Catholic Lawyers
Guild of Queens, the Queens County Women’s Bar Association, the
Flushing Lawyers and the Taminent Democratic Club. As a
member of the Law-Related Education Section of the New York County
Lawyers Association, Ms Furey champions the need for higher
education and the legal profession by serving as a guest speaker
for students in the NYC public school system. Ms Furey also
facilitates speaking engagements for this organization with
appearances at senior centers, public libraries and church groups
on estate planning, probate and related elder law issues. Ms.
Furey serves as a CLE instructor for continuing education topics
pertaining to guardianship and is often a panel participant
regarding the same subject. Having been raised in a large
family, Ms. Furey notes that, “service is a big part of my
life. Lending a hand was second nature in our home. You
took care of each other, which is probably the reason why I get so
much satisfaction from working in the community and with my more
mature clients.”
In 2005, Ms. Furey was recognized by the New York County Lawyers
Pro Bono Award for her service to the community. Recently,
Ms. Furey was recognized as Woman of the Year by the Astoria/Long
Island Chapter of the Kiwanas Club.
As a recent graduate, Ms. Furey is familiar with the concept of
“getting established.” Her advice to recent St. John’s Law
graduates, “…life is about more than just showing up. Get
involved. If you simply go to a meeting or event and just sit
back, it can be a long evening that you probably won’t get much out
of. However, if you attend the same meeting and look to get
involved and make a difference, the event will probably be very
beneficial for you. Get involved, life is about service!”