Retired Judge Fidnick is available to handle conciliations and mediations independently, or in tandem with retired Judge Richard Simons.
The Hon. Linda Fidnick (Ret.) practiced family law for 30 years in Western Massachusetts, acting as both a litigator and a mediator, before being appointed to the bench in 2008. She served as a Probate and Family Court judge in Western Massachusetts and retired in 2023 as First Justice of the Hampshire Division of the Court.
Her career was fueled by a passion for helping people who experienced divorce or separation, and her extracurricular activities included serving as president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and then as president of the parent AFCC organization, an organization with a mission to improve the lives of those who find themselves in the family law system.
Her true “passion project” was creating the “Family Resolutions Specialty Court” in 2016, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2026. FRSC provides divorcing and separating parents with a humane, problem-solving team approach to the traditional adversarial litigation process. It began in the Hampshire Division of the Probate and Family Court and now serves families throughout Western Massachusetts, to be available to all parents statewide in the future. Additionally, while serving on the bench, Judge Fidnick served as a peer mentor to judges in the J2J Mentoring Program, and she served as a Trustee of the Flaschner Judicial Institute.
While not listed below, Judge Fidnick has been a guest speaker at innumerable professional association and MCLE events over the years, and has many publications and reported decisions.
When Judge Fidnick is not working, she can be found at Jazzercise classes. She’s been at that for over 40 years!
Education
- University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., 1979
- Smith College, A.B., 1975
Honors / Awards
- President’s Award for Lifetime Service, AFCC, 2026
- Massachusetts Bar Association Community Service Award
Memberships
- Massachusetts Bar, 1979 - present
- Massachusetts Federal District Court, 1980 - present
- Massachusetts Bar Association, 1979 - present: Chair of the Family Law Section Council 1996 - 1997
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC): President, AFCC, 2022 - 2023, President, Massachusetts Chapter, 2005 - 2007
- Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 1996 - 2008
