Gary Todd is recognized locally and nationally as a preeminent family law practitioner specializing in domestic relations and probate litigation. He has successfully negotiated, mediated, and tried numerous family law issues at the trial court and appellate levels, including divorce, custody, paternity, parental rights, complex support matters, property division, removal, modification, and contempt actions. Mr. Todd has broad experience drafting and negotiating prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.
Mr. Todd fully understands and appreciates the complex issues facing his clients, and, whether arguing in court or negotiating settlements, he applies his extensive experience and knowledge of the law to convincingly articulate positions that has contributed to a long track record of achieving favorable results.
Best Lawyers in America, a longstanding and well-respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, since 2012 has honored Mr. Todd as a leading practitioner in Family Law, as well as Litigation – Trusts and Estates. Since 2007 he has been selected to Massachusetts Super Lawyers for Family Law. Mr. Todd is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the directory's highest peer rating.
Mr. Todd is a recognized leader in the legal profession having served in a variety of bar association roles, including:
President of the Massachusetts Family and Probate American Inn of Court
Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Boston Bar Association's Family Law Council
Board of Directors of Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem, Inc.
Board of Directors of Association of Family Court and Community Professionals
Family Law Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association
Advisory Committee to Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education
Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Fellow of the Boston Bar Foundation
A prominent thought leader, Mr. Todd is lecturer and adjunct professor of family law at the New England School of Law. He volunteers as Trial Advisor for the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Program, as well as a judge for the New England Law Trial Competition.
Mr. Todd is a frequent lecturer on family law and trial practice issues for the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Suffolk University School of Law, and Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy program. He has authored articles on divorce and family law in several legal publications.
President, Greater Newburyport Bar Association, 2024-present
Treasurer, Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem
Member, New England Law | Boston Board of Trustees
President, Massachusetts Family and Probate American Inn of Court, 2018-2020
Boston Bar Foundation Society of Fellows, Recruitment Committee, 2018-2019
Executive Committee Member, Judge Abber Counsel Assisted Negotiation Program for Essex, Middlesex and Norfolk Counties Probate and Family Courts (2018-present)
Member, Massachusetts Bar Association Family Law Section Subcommittee on Anti-Harassment Law, 2011
Member, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Member, Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Pro Bono Panel
American Trial Lawyers Association
Boston Bar Association: Family Law Section
Massachusetts Bar Association: Family Law Section
Founding Member, Massachusetts Chapter, American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators
Presenter, "Trying Divorce Cases," MCLE, November 2024
Presenter, "Challenging Evidentiary Issues," Newburyport Bar Association, November 2024
Panelist, "Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Coercive Control: What You See and What You Don't See," Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem, November 2024
Panelist, 33rd Annual Massachusetts Bar Association Family Law Conference, "Equity Based Compensation: Is it Income, an Asset, or Both?", October 2024
Speaker, "Preparing a Case from Temporary Orders to Pretrials," Social Law Library, October 2024
Moderator, "New Revenge Porn Law," Newburyport Bar Association, October 2024
Welcoming remarks and introductions, CLE by the Sea: NE Conference for Solos and Small Law Firms, hosted by Greater Newburyport Bar Association, July 2024
Lecturer, Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop, MCLE, June 2024
Panelist, "Annual John C. Stevens Family Law Symposium: Benched," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, May 2024
Panelist, "The Art and Skill of Negotiation," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, May 2024
Moderator, "Alimony Reform After Cavanagh & Openshaw," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, April 2024
Panelist, ”Separation Agreement Pitfalls: Language & Punctuation,” Greater Newburyport Bar Association, February 2024
Presenter, "Trying Divorce Cases in Massachusetts," MCLE, November 2023
Presenter, "Conducting Direct and Cross Examinations of Family Law Experts," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, November 2023
Presenter, "The divorce and family law process: Drafting divorce complaints, modifications, contempts and answers," Social Law Library, October 2023
Panelist, "Navigating the Intersection of Family and Immigration Law," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, July 2023
Panelist, "The Interplay between Family and Criminal Law," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, June 2023
Panelist, "At the Crossroads of Alimony and Child Support: The Impact of Cavanagh v. Cavanagh," Massachusetts Bar Association Annual Family Law Conference, October 2022
Co-presenter, "Expert Witnesses: From Reliability to Junk Science," Advanced Family Law Practice: Evidence and Forensic Experts, AAML and Greater Newburyport Bar Association, October 2022
Faculty, Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop 2022, MCLE
Panelist, The Wandering Lawyer, Greater Newburyport Bar Association, May 2022
Panelist, "The Perils of Late Life Romance," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, June 2022
Panelist, The New Child Support Guidelines, MCLE's Domestic Relations Financial Summit 2022
Moderator, "Social Media Evidence: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," Greater Newburyport Bar Association, October 2021
Guest Lecturer, Suffolk Law School, Professional Responsibility, July 2021
Faculty, Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop 2021, MCLE
Panelist, Town Hall with Family Law Colleagues, Greater Newburyport Bar Association, June 2021
MCLE Panelist, "Shifting & Pivoting Your Practice & Perspective In the COVID-19 World," February 2021
Moderator, "The New Frontier: Trials by Zoom," Massachusetts Family and Probate American Inns of Court, November 2020
Panelist, Remote Annual Conference of Massachusetts Chapter of Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, "’Can You Hear What I Need?’ Eliciting, Understanding, and Integrating Children's Perspectives in Family Law Cases," October 2020
MCLE Panelist, Direct & Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses: Family Law Workshop 2020
Speaker, Family Lawyers' Impressions of COVID-19 Impact on the Family Law Court, Zoom webinar, May 2020
Panelist, Massachusetts Bar Association's Annual Family Law Conference (2019), "Price is What You Pay and Value is What You Get: Revisiting Valuation and Allocation of Business, Trust and Estate Interests"
Lecturer, Massachusetts Association of Family & Conciliation Courts, "Voice of the Child," March 2020
Speaker, New England School of Law Family Law Society, November 2019
Presenter, MCLE, Trying Divorce Cases: Direct Examination of Witnesses, October 2019
Presenter, Social Law Library CLE Program, How Does Bankruptcy Affect Divorce?, April 2019
Presenter, Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem, Inc., GAL Reports at Trial, December 2018
MCLE Panelist, Trying Divorce Cases, Direct Examination of Husband on Financial Statement, November 2018
Speaker, CLE by the Sea, Newburyport Bar Association, Tips, Tools and Tricks for Discovery in Family Law, July 2018
MCLE Instructor, Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop 2018, Direct and Cross Examination of Experts
Trying Divorce Cases, MCLE Panelist, October 2017
MCLE Panelist, Evidentiary Issues in Family Court Practice & Procedure, October 2017
Panelist, Family Law Trial Advocacy Seminar, MCLE, June 2017
Speaker, Report Writing, 2017 Spring Conference, Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem
MCLE Panelist, Trying Divorce Cases in Massachusetts, October 2016
Panelist, Child Custody and International Law, New England School of Law
Panelist, Trial Practice, Massachusetts Bar Association
Panelist, Protecting the Child in Removal Cases, Massachusetts Bar Association
Panelist, Reconciling International Custody Issues, Boston Bar Association
Panelist, The Hague Convention, Boston Bar Association
Panelist, Domestic Relations Orders, Boston Bar Association
Panelist, Bankruptcy Law & Domestic Relations, Boston Bar Association
Panelist, Family Law Appeals, Boston Bar Association
Panelist, Criminal Issues in District & Probate Court, Boston Bar Association
