June 9, 2023 • 8 mins
Tammy L. Cumo is the co-managing principal of Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O’Shea. Founded in 1988, Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O’Shea has earned a reputation for exceptional legal service. Located in New York’s Capital Region, the firm’s highly skilled and experienced attorneys are admitted to all state and federal courts in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, District of Columbia and the United States Supreme Court.The firm’s attorneys have demonstrated experience in widely diverse areas of the law. Its clients also are diverse and include individuals, small entrepreneurial businesses, major financial institutions, health care organizations and medical practices, public and private sector labor organizations, construction companies, real estate developers, and governmental agencies and officials.Tammy’s legal career in the Capital Region spans over 20 years. Her practice primarily involves commercial and transactional matters, general business law for for-profit and not-for-profit entities, physician group representation, and financing transactions from both the borrower and lender side. Tammy also works with clients appearing before NYS agencies such as the NYS Attorney General with respect to condominium and homeowners’ associations and NYS Liquor Authority with respect to liquor licensing and related matters. Tammy was born, raised and educated in the Capital Region completing her undergraduate studies at Russell Sage College in Troy, and her law degree at Albany Law School. She started her legal career at another local law firm before joining Gleason Dunn Walsh & O’Shea in 2014. Tammy is also a dedicated amateur runner, a certified running coach, and resides in Guilderland with her husband.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
It's Duck Gouty from wg Y Morningswith another CEO you should know. Today
we're talking to Tammy coom O.She's a partner with Gleason, Done,
Walsh and O'Shea. Morning Tammy,Good morning, Duck. We're talking law.
What kind of law are we talking? So? Gleason, Don Walsh
and O'Shea is a mid size firmfor this market and we do a variety
(00:23):
of different kinds of law. Ithink, UM. You know, initially
the firm in its early days,was known as a labor and employment firm.
But we've expanded and we've got we'vegot groups, small groups within the
firm that do a variety of thingsincluding UM, well, obviously labor and
employment, UM, commercial transactions,corporate law, a lot of banking and
(00:45):
lending work. We just added trustin estates last year, business consultation.
So we do a variety of thingsfor our clients. As with all businesses,
things are fluid, things change,you got to evolve, expand etc.
What is this law firm when itstarted versus what it is now?
How many people do you employ andhow has it changed over the years.
(01:07):
So the firm was founded in nineteeneighty eight, so we're in our thirty
The firm is in its thirty fifthyear. It started with five lawyers,
obviously Tom Gleeson, Mark Walsh,Ron Dunne, Brendan o'she and Frank O'Connor,
who actually managed the firm for overthirty years. I don't know how
(01:29):
many employees they had at the time, but i'd say less than five,
probably two. Now we have sixteenattorneys. We have another attorney that is
that has passed the bar. She'llbe admitted in June, and then another
one arriving in September, so that'llbe eighteen. We have two summer associates
that just started yesterday, and wehave at any given time between eleven and
(01:52):
thirteen staff members. So obviously,in the past thirty five years we've grown
at a steady pace, at asafe steady pace, you know, with
you being here right in the capitalregion. We've got the capital right there,
and all they do is pass lawsand make things more complicated. It
seems by the day like we can'teven decide whether we can have wine and
liquor stores for goodness sakes or inconveniencestores. Do you deal with everything all
(02:17):
the way to that level, anddoes Albany get in your way or does
it help you with what you do? I think it depends on which attorneys
in the firm you ask. Imean, certainly they keep us busy because,
as you know, they are alwayschanging, changing and creating, in
my opinion, new challenges for ourclients, which is bad for them,
(02:38):
but is good for us and keepsus busy. So it definitely as fluid
as you mentioned, and it keepsus busy. You have Capital Region roots.
I believe you went to Albany Law. Yes, I did go to
Albany Law, and I went toundergrad at russell Sage over in Troy.
So when you get out and you'repicking and choosing where you want to go
because you had that kind of jews, Dammy, why did you decide today
(03:00):
here in the Capitol Region? Myfamily's here, I think you know,
Um, you know everybody's everybody's here. Yeah, I didn't have any other
I didn't have a desire to gosomewhere else where. I didn't know anyone.
I'm not a big city person.Um. I grew up in the
country. I grew up up inthe hamlet of Johnsonville, up in the
(03:21):
sound of Scatticoke, which is northernRensler County, so about forty five minutes
from where I am now. Um, it just wasn't It wasn't something I
was interested in doing. And um, you know, there was lots to
do here. There was lots ofopportunities, and as I came out of
law school, Um, there wassome really good firms that welcomed to me,
and so so the choice was easyat the time. They always say,
(03:43):
lawyers know where the bodies are buried. As you drive through this area
and you've seen how it's changed overthe years and grown and evolved. Do
you go if people only knew aboutthat building, and do you go?
I know the story on there,and that's a great story. So every
day when I drive by a centralwarehouse, I think, Wow, there's
a story there, But I wishit would change. Amen to that.
(04:05):
My gosh, Almighty. Is therethings near and dear to your heart here
in the Capital region? Charities ororganizations that you belong to that keep you
grounded in the community. You know, I think as a firm, are
our attorneys are are well, umintegrated, and lots of the local charities
(04:27):
we've got folks that have been onon charity boards for many, many years,
and then there's some of us thathave jumped around, you know,
done a term or two here orthere on charity boards. I mean,
there's there's so much need for helpin the in the area UM that I
don't think there's a single charity thatthat the firm or any one person in
our firm is grounded into. Butwe certainly as a group have UM have
(04:50):
have done service in the community.And actually a few years ago one of
my partners started UM and I can'tand I'm going to fumble the name of
the organization, but you choose afamily for Christmas and I like wish lists,
and the whole firm comes together andthey you know, they go out
with the list and they go shoppingand then they wrap together and then you
know, a smaller group delivers thepresence. And I think that's really been
(05:13):
a fun, team building, butcharity thing that the firm does as a
whole. I know, you've heardevery lawyer joke in the book, and
I'm not going to use any ofthem except as a backdrop to say people
have this perception of lawyers. Whatdo you want people to know about Gleason,
dun Walsh and O'Shea that they mightnot. When you call with you're
(05:34):
a client and you call the firm, you're going to talk to one of
the principles. You're going to talkto one of the partners about your case,
and pretty much unless they're you know, not available at that moment,
that's your personal relationship. We've gotclients that we've had relationships with for for
twenty thirty years, and some ofthem, you know, we see the
(05:54):
life cycle with them, and thenat the end when they're ready to sell
the business, we help them withthat. And I think we just there's
a personal touch to what used tobe a really small firm that's now grown
to a mid sized firm, andwe've kept that real personal relationship with our
clients. People watch TV shows andmovies all the time, and they think
they know what a jury does,and they think they know what lawyers should
(06:15):
do and how they should act andwhatever. Have you seen people that need
lawyers evolve over the years or arethey still the same basic Oh my god,
please help me the people the clientsthat need lawyers. Yeah, well,
there's certainly people that come with desperation. But I think that depends on
what kind of trouble they're in,right, depending on the circumstance. I
(06:36):
don't think. I don't think mostpeople come to their lawyers unless it's a
criminal issue that are that kind ofdesperation. They know that they need help,
but some of them think they alreadyknow what the answer is and they're
just coming to make sure that they'recovering their basis, which is smart.
As Gleason, Dunn, Walsh andO'Shea grows, where are they going to
be five years, ten years fromnow? UM. You know, we're
(07:01):
not unlike many other firms who we'rekind of in a period of UM rebuilding.
Maybe that's not the right word,transition. So we have this group
that started the firm UM thirty fiveyears ago there to the point now where
they're they've taken a different role.They want to slow down UM and so
we need to re fill that holeagain. And what we've done is started
(07:24):
you know that you talk about resourcesin the Capital region, the law school
is a great resource for us inthe Capital region. UM. We do
the summer program. We've hired UHsummer associates and then new associates out of
that program in the last three orfour years, and I think I think
it's really just transitioning the firm intoa younger it's probably again not the right
(07:44):
word to use, but a youngergroup of folks that's going to that's going
to continue to grow um and transformand transition the firm over the next ten,
fifteen, twenty years. You know, we talked. We talked to
a lot of CEOs during the courseof this series and usually there's only two
kinds that I don't say this too, but usually they say, how are
you going to be sure that thereis business out there in the future,
(08:07):
funeral directors and lawyers. I'm prettysure you're gonna have business in the future,
that's for sure. So Tammy keepat it. As they say,
that's another edition of CEOs you shouldknow. Tammy Kumo as a partner with
Gleason, Dunn Walsh and O'Shea.I'm Doug Goudy and that is CEOs you
should Know.
It's Duck Gouty from wg Y Morningswith another CEO you should know. Today
we're talking to Tammy coom O.She's a partner with Gleason, Done,
Walsh and O'Shea. Morning Tammy,Good morning, Duck. We're talking law.
What kind of law are we talking? So? Gleason, Don Walsh
and O'Shea is a mid size firmfor this market and we do a variety
(00:23):
of different kinds of law. Ithink, UM. You know, initially
the firm in its early days,was known as a labor and employment firm.
But we've expanded and we've got we'vegot groups, small groups within the
firm that do a variety of thingsincluding UM, well, obviously labor and
employment, UM, commercial transactions,corporate law, a lot of banking and
(00:45):
lending work. We just added trustin estates last year, business consultation.
So we do a variety of thingsfor our clients. As with all businesses,
things are fluid, things change,you got to evolve, expand etc.
What is this law firm when itstarted versus what it is now?
How many people do you employ andhow has it changed over the years.
(01:07):
So the firm was founded in nineteeneighty eight, so we're in our thirty
The firm is in its thirty fifthyear. It started with five lawyers,
obviously Tom Gleeson, Mark Walsh,Ron Dunne, Brendan o'she and Frank O'Connor,
who actually managed the firm for overthirty years. I don't know how
(01:29):
many employees they had at the time, but i'd say less than five,
probably two. Now we have sixteenattorneys. We have another attorney that is
that has passed the bar. She'llbe admitted in June, and then another
one arriving in September, so that'llbe eighteen. We have two summer associates
that just started yesterday, and wehave at any given time between eleven and
(01:52):
thirteen staff members. So obviously,in the past thirty five years we've grown
at a steady pace, at asafe steady pace, you know, with
you being here right in the capitalregion. We've got the capital right there,
and all they do is pass lawsand make things more complicated. It
seems by the day like we can'teven decide whether we can have wine and
liquor stores for goodness sakes or inconveniencestores. Do you deal with everything all
(02:17):
the way to that level, anddoes Albany get in your way or does
it help you with what you do? I think it depends on which attorneys
in the firm you ask. Imean, certainly they keep us busy because,
as you know, they are alwayschanging, changing and creating, in
my opinion, new challenges for ourclients, which is bad for them,
(02:38):
but is good for us and keepsus busy. So it definitely as fluid
as you mentioned, and it keepsus busy. You have Capital Region roots.
I believe you went to Albany Law. Yes, I did go to
Albany Law, and I went toundergrad at russell Sage over in Troy.
So when you get out and you'repicking and choosing where you want to go
because you had that kind of jews, Dammy, why did you decide today
(03:00):
here in the Capitol Region? Myfamily's here, I think you know,
Um, you know everybody's everybody's here. Yeah, I didn't have any other
I didn't have a desire to gosomewhere else where. I didn't know anyone.
I'm not a big city person.Um. I grew up in the
country. I grew up up inthe hamlet of Johnsonville, up in the
(03:21):
sound of Scatticoke, which is northernRensler County, so about forty five minutes
from where I am now. Um, it just wasn't It wasn't something I
was interested in doing. And um, you know, there was lots to
do here. There was lots ofopportunities, and as I came out of
law school, Um, there wassome really good firms that welcomed to me,
and so so the choice was easyat the time. They always say,
(03:43):
lawyers know where the bodies are buried. As you drive through this area
and you've seen how it's changed overthe years and grown and evolved. Do
you go if people only knew aboutthat building, and do you go?
I know the story on there,and that's a great story. So every
day when I drive by a centralwarehouse, I think, Wow, there's
a story there, But I wishit would change. Amen to that.
(04:05):
My gosh, Almighty. Is therethings near and dear to your heart here
in the Capital region? Charities ororganizations that you belong to that keep you
grounded in the community. You know, I think as a firm, are
our attorneys are are well, umintegrated, and lots of the local charities
(04:27):
we've got folks that have been onon charity boards for many, many years,
and then there's some of us thathave jumped around, you know,
done a term or two here orthere on charity boards. I mean,
there's there's so much need for helpin the in the area UM that I
don't think there's a single charity thatthat the firm or any one person in
our firm is grounded into. Butwe certainly as a group have UM have
(04:50):
have done service in the community.And actually a few years ago one of
my partners started UM and I can'tand I'm going to fumble the name of
the organization, but you choose afamily for Christmas and I like wish lists,
and the whole firm comes together andthey you know, they go out
with the list and they go shoppingand then they wrap together and then you
know, a smaller group delivers thepresence. And I think that's really been
(05:13):
a fun, team building, butcharity thing that the firm does as a
whole. I know, you've heardevery lawyer joke in the book, and
I'm not going to use any ofthem except as a backdrop to say people
have this perception of lawyers. Whatdo you want people to know about Gleason,
dun Walsh and O'Shea that they mightnot. When you call with you're
(05:34):
a client and you call the firm, you're going to talk to one of
the principles. You're going to talkto one of the partners about your case,
and pretty much unless they're you know, not available at that moment,
that's your personal relationship. We've gotclients that we've had relationships with for for
twenty thirty years, and some ofthem, you know, we see the
(05:54):
life cycle with them, and thenat the end when they're ready to sell
the business, we help them withthat. And I think we just there's
a personal touch to what used tobe a really small firm that's now grown
to a mid sized firm, andwe've kept that real personal relationship with our
clients. People watch TV shows andmovies all the time, and they think
they know what a jury does,and they think they know what lawyers should
(06:15):
do and how they should act andwhatever. Have you seen people that need
lawyers evolve over the years or arethey still the same basic Oh my god,
please help me the people the clientsthat need lawyers. Yeah, well,
there's certainly people that come with desperation. But I think that depends on
what kind of trouble they're in,right, depending on the circumstance. I
(06:36):
don't think. I don't think mostpeople come to their lawyers unless it's a
criminal issue that are that kind ofdesperation. They know that they need help,
but some of them think they alreadyknow what the answer is and they're
just coming to make sure that they'recovering their basis, which is smart.
As Gleason, Dunn, Walsh andO'Shea grows, where are they going to
be five years, ten years fromnow? UM. You know, we're
(07:01):
not unlike many other firms who we'rekind of in a period of UM rebuilding.
Maybe that's not the right word,transition. So we have this group
that started the firm UM thirty fiveyears ago there to the point now where
they're they've taken a different role.They want to slow down UM and so
we need to re fill that holeagain. And what we've done is started
(07:24):
you know that you talk about resourcesin the Capital region, the law school
is a great resource for us inthe Capital region. UM. We do
the summer program. We've hired UHsummer associates and then new associates out of
that program in the last three orfour years, and I think I think
it's really just transitioning the firm intoa younger it's probably again not the right
(07:44):
word to use, but a youngergroup of folks that's going to that's going
to continue to grow um and transformand transition the firm over the next ten,
fifteen, twenty years. You know, we talked. We talked to
a lot of CEOs during the courseof this series and usually there's only two
kinds that I don't say this too, but usually they say, how are
you going to be sure that thereis business out there in the future,
(08:07):
funeral directors and lawyers. I'm prettysure you're gonna have business in the future,
that's for sure. So Tammy keepat it. As they say,
that's another edition of CEOs you shouldknow. Tammy Kumo as a partner with
Gleason, Dunn Walsh and O'Shea.I'm Doug Goudy and that is CEOs you
should Know.
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