When you spend more than a decade as a paralegal, you learn to see the legal world from every angle. For Mallary Maryland, that journey—from boutique trial firms to large-scale pharmaceutical mass torts—wasn’t just about reviewing evidence or preparing cases for trial. It was about learning to think like a detective, finding the missing puzzle piece, and understanding what truly makes a case strong enough to move forward.
Today, Mallary brings that same sharp eye for detail and passion for problem-solving to her role as a Litigation Manager at Pattern, where she helps shape AI-powered tools designed to make mass torts work more efficiently, accurately, and strategically.
Mallary began her career in 2009, quickly immersing herself in the fast-paced world of trial prep, client intake, and case development. In wrongful death cases, she often felt like Nancy Drew—piecing together thousands of pages of medical records and evidence to uncover the truth.
“It wasn’t necessarily that I liked putting the puzzle together,” she recalls. “It was that I liked putting it together for someone else to see it. That’s what a paralegal does. You prepare the case so your attorney can present it at trial.”
Her career soon expanded into mass torts and products liability, where the scale of work shifted dramatically. Instead of one or two cases, Mallary was often responsible for hundreds or thousands at once.
“There were times when I got a two-hour nap in a 48-hour period because I had to work up so many cases,” she says. “If Pattern had existed then, it would have saved me days of searching for one piece of information buried in thousands of medical records.”
Some worry that AI will replace paralegals. Mallary doesn’t see it that way.
“To me, it’s not replacing the paralegal. It’s enhancing the paralegal,” she explains. “AI tells you where the gaps are, so instead of wasting hours looking for something that’s not there, you can spend your time getting what you actually need to build the case stronger.”
Pattern’s tools can flag missing dates, highlight weak spots, and instantly sort through records that used to take days of manual review. The result? Paralegals spend less time buried in paperwork and more time on strategy, client communication, and building stronger cases.
Not all cases are created equal. Prescription drug litigation often provides much cleaner evidence in the form of pharmacy records. But exposure cases where someone claims they used or were near a product decades ago can be far trickier.
“Exposure cases are harder because most people don’t have proof from 50 years ago,” Mallary says. “That’s where AI makes such a difference, helping quickly separate strong claims from weaker ones and saving firms valuable time and resources.”
Pattern even tracks the quality of client intake sources, helping firms identify which partners bring in qualified cases versus high volumes of claims with little supporting evidence. That efficiency doesn’t just speed up operations, it also maximizes ROI for firms investing heavily in client acquisition.
Mallary joined Pattern after her previous firm was acquired, seizing the moment to pivot into a role that married her legal expertise with her fascination for AI.
“I didn’t want to be on the tail end of this wave and then be left behind,” she says. “AI is the way of the future, and Pattern is building something where everyone’s voice matters. That’s not something you always get in law firms.”
As a Litigation Manager, Mallary now becomes the in-house expert on each new litigation Pattern supports. She researches the case law, collaborates with engineers and analysts, and helps design the AI tools that lawyers and paralegals will use to work smarter.
“I’m constantly checking dockets, keeping an eye on new filings, recalls, and emerging litigations,” she says. “It’s like I still get to be Nancy Drew, but at a macro level.”
For paralegals interested in bringing tools like Pattern into their firms, Mallary recommends starting small and finding allies.
“Don’t go straight to the partner,” she advises. “Find someone who has their ear, maybe HR, a manager, or even an assistant and suggest trying it on one case. Once you show results, it’s much easier to expand.”
She notes that openness to AI varies widely across firms, but attitudes are shifting rapidly, and more firms are recognizing that efficiency is no longer optional in today’s mass tort landscape.
Outside of work, Mallary finds balance in time with her four kids, workouts, and creative hobbies like crochet and embroidery. But her love of puzzles and problem-solving continues to shine through in her work at Pattern.
“Pattern allows me to live out that Nancy Drew side of myself,” she says. “Only now, I’m not just solving individual cases—I’m helping to shape the way law firms handle mass torts at scale. And that’s incredibly rewarding.”
Mallary’s story shows exactly why Pattern exists—not to replace the skill, insight, and strategy of legal professionals, but to amplify them. By taking on the time-consuming legwork, Pattern frees paralegals and attorneys to focus on what truly matters: building the strongest cases, serving clients with care, and achieving faster outcomes.