About Mary
Mary Dowling arrived at law after studying business. She earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Management from Arizona State University and then studied law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. The combination of business training and legal education has informed much of her career path.
She began teaching and supervising early in her legal work. In 2013 she served as Supervising Lawyer and Adjunct Professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Small Business Law Center. There she oversaw student practice and worked directly with small business clients, pairing classroom theory with hands-on representation.
The next year she moved into private practice leadership. In 2014 she became Managing Partner at Purpose Law Group, LLP, a role that placed her in charge of firm operations and client work. Her responsibilities included guiding transactional matters for business clients and advising on organizational questions. That managerial experience deepened her interest in how law and business intersect.
Dowling continued to teach while practicing. In 2018 she took an adjunct appointment at the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences. She balanced classroom duties with her growing practice obligations. By 2021 she was listed as Managing Lawyer at Tovella Dowling, P.C., where she carries on both client work and firm management.
She is licensed to practice in California, Colorado and Arizona. Her professional activities extend beyond the office. She has been a member of the San Diego County Bar Association since 2012 and has volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates since 2008. She has also maintained an affiliation with Kappa Alpha Theta since 2008.
Colleagues describe Dowling as pragmatic in approach and steady under pressure. She favors clear analysis over legal theory when advising clients. Her background in business administration informs her questions about risk, structure and governance. That perspective is evident whether she is teaching a classroom or representing a client.
Her office is Tovella Dowling, P.C., where she combines practice and administration. She works with entrepreneurs and small businesses, handling transactional matters and counseling on organizational and compliance issues across her admitted jurisdictions. Her current practice concentrates on business and small-business matters across California, Colorado and Arizona.
