Jeanne McCormick, 41; lawyer known for her gracious style

When Shawn McCormick first met Jeanne Harney five years ago, he knew she was the woman he had been waiting for. There was only one problem. She was a lawyer, just like him.

"If you had told me I would marry a lawyer, I would have said never. I don't even like lawyers," McCormick said. "But we both knew."

The two met in a Middlesex courtroom. He represented a defendant in a personal injury case, and she represented the defendant's insurance company.

"I thought she was bright and beautiful and remember thinking it was like a scene in 'LA Law' because there was an attraction. But it wasn't a TV show. She was real and down to earth, and I felt a connection," he said.

They married in 2004 and bought a house in Norfolk. He shared her passion for gourmet foods and travel. He often cooked for her and the couple relished going out to dinner at Radius and Grill 23 in Boston. They loved getaways to the Bahamas, where they would sit on the beach and read novels.

But the bottom fell out in October.

Jeanne McCormick was having flu-like symptoms and went to her doctor. She was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. She died June 17 at home with her husband and her beloved Pekinese, Mia, by her side, her husband said. She was 41.

Mrs. McCormick was a partner at Nelson, Kinder, Mosseau & Saturley, where she began in 2003. Previously, she had worked at Morrison, Mahoney and Miller in Boston for 17 years and had been a partner there. She graduated from Boston College Law School in 1990 after earning an undergraduate degree at BC in 1987.

"When I think of Jeanne, the words dignity, class, and style come to mind -- a modern-day Jackie O.," said attorney Brian P. Heermance, who worked with her at Morrison, Mahoney and Miller.

William Saturley of Nelson, Kinder, Mosseau & Saturley said Mrs. McCormick's style was a model for the profession.

"Unlike many trial lawyers, she bypassed overt aggressiveness in favor of quiet determination," Saturley said. "She backed up her polite, gracious style with knowledge and experience. The combination made her a very effective advocate for clients."

Mrs. McCormick loved literature and was reading classic novels in alphabetical order by authors' names, according to her sister Eileen.

She also was an accomplished clarinetist who fell in love with the instrument while at Medfield High School, where she was a member of the All State Band. At BC, she played clarinet for four years in the marching band and bought season tickets for football each year after graduation.

Her sister, who is a decade younger, recalled sneaking into her room as a child to study her wardrobe.

"I wanted to be like her so much," her sister said. "She was such a lady even in high school. She always used to say it's about fashion, not fad."

Mrs. McCormick's aqua Tahari suit became legendary in the family. "Are you going to wear the Tahari?" family members would ask when a special event arose.

Friends and family grew to know her as a calming influence. "Jeanne was the least judgmental person, always patient, always had an ear," her sister said. "She was just so understanding in that way."

In addition to her husband and sister, Mrs. McCormick leaves her parents, Mary and John Harney of Medfield; and another sister, Christine Hanifin of Wrentham.

A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. today in St. Edward the Confessor Church in Medfield. Burial will follow in Vine Lake Cemetery, Medfield.