Judith A. Fairclough
Overview
ShareholderJudith, who is the Chairperson of the firm’s Family Law Group, has over 35 years of expertise in divorce and related matters. Her considerable courtroom experience gives her the confidence to effectively negotiate and resolve cases out of court, whether that be through mediation, collaboration, or negotiation. As a mediator and collaboratively trained practitioner, Judith is compassionate and creative, with a focus on assessing client goals and providing realistic advice and counsel.
As a certified marital mediator with decades of experience in drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and litigating pre and postnuptial agreements, Judith works with couples in the role of mediator, assisting with their pre and postnuptial agreement needs in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. This work produces an agreed-upon draft document that couples can take to their respective counsel for final review. In this way, the awkward, sometimes adversarial nature of drafting by separate counsel is avoided, expenses are minimized, and the couple works collaboratively on this very personal and sensitive issue.
While her practice is comprised primarily of high-net-worth cases, Judith has worked with a variety of business owners and professionals including those in the medical and legal field as well as executives, engineers, teachers, airline pilots, state employees, trust beneficiaries, self-made individuals, those with inherited wealth as well as stay-at-home parents and individuals seeking to exit a long-term marriage.
Through her long tenure as a New Hampshire family law attorney, Judith has developed valuable relationships with experts in the field of business and real estate valuation. As a partner in a multidisciplinary firm, Judith has in-house access to real estate, trust, tax, employment, and corporate attorneys. Judith has a subspecialty in drafting and reviewing prenuptial and postnuptial agreements and has lectured and published on these topics.
Since 2009, Judith has authored chapters on financial issues, prenuptial agreements, and postnuptial agreements in the MCLE publication “A Practical Guide to Divorce in New Hampshire.” Judith has also presented in many forums on prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements as well as evidentiary issues in divorce. Judith is active in the New Hampshire Bar Association Family Law Section and served as president from 2010 to 2012. She was a founder of the Concord New Hampshire Collaborative Law Group and a founding member of the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators. Judith was honored by the New Hampshire Supreme Court to serve on the Hearings Committee of the Attorney Disciplinary System. Her dedication to equal access to justice led her to many years of volunteering with the New Hampshire Bar Association Pro Bono Referral Program and serving on its board.
Hobbies
Judith is active in both community and civic matters and when time allows, enjoys gardening, cycling, and golf.
Professional and Community Involvement
Professional Involvement
- Member, Hearings Committee, New Hampshire Supreme Court Attorney Discipline System (2015-present)
- Advisor, Board Member, and Founding Member, The American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators, New Hampshire Chapter (2015-present)
- Certified in Collaborative Practice
- CLE Program faculty, New Hampshire Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association Family Law Section
- Member, New Hampshire Bar Association Family Law Section
- Member, Collaborative Law Alliance/New Hampshire
- Member, International Association of Collaborative Professionals
- Former Member, Family Division Rules and Policy Group
- Board Member, New Hampshire Bar Association Pro Bono Referral Program (2016-2021)
- Former Co-Chair, Family Law Section, New Hampshire Bar Association (2011-2012)
Community Involvement
- Board Member, Red River Theatres, Concord, New Hampshire
- Executive Leadership Team, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of NH – American Cancer Society
- Former Board Member, The Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center (2012-2021)
- Committee Member, NH Special Olympics 50th Anniversary Gala (2018-2019)
- Volunteer, Healing with Art Program, Norris Cotton Cancer Center (2014-2017)
- Parents’ Committee, St. Lawrence University (2011-present)
- Former Board Member, NH Special Olympics
Honors & Distinctions
- Cited in The Best Lawyers in America for Family Law (2009-present)
- Selected by The Best Lawyers in America as Concord, NH “Lawyer of the Year” for Family Law (2019)
- Recognized as a New England Super Lawyer, Family Law (2016-present)
Publications
- A Practical Guide To Divorce In New Hampshire – Chapters on Pre and Postnuptial Agreements and Financial Affidavits, published by MCLE New England, December 2009 (as supplemented in 2021)
