Sally B. Gold, an attorney who believed in equal access to justice, died of cancer May 4 at her New York home. She was 75 and had a residence in Bolton Hill.

Born in Baltimore, she was the daughter of William Gold, a TriState Distributors salesman and his wife, Harriet Rosenberg, the bookkeeper at the same business. She attended Mount Washington Elementary, Pimlico Junior High School and was a Western High School graduate. She attended Sarah Lawrence College before graduating from Goucher College. She was an honors graduate from the University of Maryland School of Law.

She met her future husband Elliot Zulver in school.

“She went to Western and I went to Poly. We met formally in a neighbor’s home,” her husband said.

Ms. Gold was a clerk to Chief Judge Robert C. Murphy, who sat on the Maryland Court of Appeals. She then established her own office in downtown Baltimore.

She focused on complex family law matters. While handling numerous divorces and custody cases, she was known for her integrity, legal insights and compassionate representation.

“My mother was unlike anyone I’ve known,” said her daughter, Alissa Zulvergold. “She stood out in a crowd in the best possible way. She amassed a vast number of people she mentored and somehow helped. While I was in college, she became the mom to so many of my friends.

“When we walked along the street, we were stopped by the people she knew. She was also a highly original dresser and decorated her hats and jackets. She was always crafting and knitting,” her daughter said.

Kathleen M. Sweeney, a judge of the District Court for Baltimore City, said, “Sally was one of my oldest friends. She was outgoing and inclusive. She went out of her way to make people feel comfortable. She assumed that she was going to like you. She roped people into her circle.”

“Sally was a fierce defender of the underrepresented,” said her brother, Carl R. Gold, who is also an attorney. “She defended anyone who was being pushed around. She wasn’t afraid of judges, especially of those who may have made remarks about a female attorney. She never took any lip from anyone.”

Of his sister’s fashion sense, he said, “Her sartorial splendor demonstrated her will to fight.”

She was also the charter director of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, where she provided pro bono service for numerous clients and mentored young attorneys in the field.

Colleagues frequently described Ms. Gold as a generous soul with a clever sense of humor.

“Sally practiced law in an era when it was a boys club, but her skill, preparation and spirit made her a force for her clients,” said a legal colleague, Ralph Sapia.

Ms. Gold was an avid theatergoer who filled her friends in with her candid reviews of Broadway shows.

She was the co-author of a legal article, “The Rape System: Old Rules and New Times.” She was a past president of the Women’s Law Center.

Survivors include her husband of 55 years, Elliot Zulver, an attorney; a daughter, Alissa Zulvergold, of New York City; her brother, Carl R. Gold, of Baltimore; and a grandson.

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