The Hon. Beth A. Crawford (Ret.) was First Justice of the Franklin County Probate and Family Court in Massachusetts. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2012. Crawford retired in 2021.
She also presided as an associate justice of the Probate and Family Court in Hampshire County.
Prior to joining the bench, Crawford had worked as an assistant judicial case manager with the Probate and Family Court since 2004. During her tenure there, she also served as a family court assistance project coordinator and case management coordinator. She came to the position after working as a private practice attorney for nine years and for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Child Support Enforcement Unit for four years. In private practice, she specialized in domestic relations and juvenile and criminal law.
Crawford received a B.A. in philosophy from Kenyon College in 1983. She then completed a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1987.
She has served as a member of the Probate and Family Court ADR Steering Committee (co-chair), the Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Probate and Family Court Guardianship of Minor Study Task Force.
Her other memberships included the Hampshire County Bar Association (past president) and the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (past president).
