BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Prior to becoming President of MAGAL, he served as MAGAL’s Judicial Liaison (six years) to the Administrative Office of the Probate and Family Court and as Vice President (2 years) of MAGAL. He is also currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. He has been a consultant to the Comprehensive Family Evaluation Center at Tufts University School of Medicine since 2013. Dr. Ritter has presented trainings for MAGAL, MCLE, and the Boston Bar Association, where he served as the chair of the education committee for eight years. Prior to attending law school, he was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Ritter is a graduate of Boston University School of Law (J.D.), Purdue University (Ph.D.), and the University of California (M.S.).

Dr. Spetter earned her A.B. in Psychology from Wellesley College in 1986 and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Pediatric Health Psychology, from the University of Miami in 1991. She worked at Tufts Medical Center for 10 years consulting with pediatricians and other health professionals and training psychology interns, pediatric and psychiatric residents prior to opening her practice in Arlington. Dr. Spetter is a founding member and consultant to the Comprehensive Family Evaluation Center at Tufts, the only hospital-based service providing family forensic psychology services in the Greater Boston area.

Ms. Robinson owns and operates a private, forensic group mental health practice in Woburn, Massachusetts. Her professional roles include Guardian ad Litem, Parent Coordinator, Mediator, and Expert. She is also an individual, family, and group therapist, as well as a professional parenting time supervisor. Additionally, she serves as a consultant for The Comprehensive Family Evaluation Center at Tufts University School of Medicine and as a clinical instructor for Tufts Medical Center, Public Health and Community Medicine Department. She is a part-time faculty professor at Boston College, School of Social Work.

She is a member of The National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW), the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). She is a longstanding member and Director at Large of the Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem (MAGAL), where she currently serves as Treasurer and is actively involved in the judicial liaison and nominating committees.

Additional background information, professional experience, and credentials will be provided in a future update.

Ms. Rice currently has a private practice in Woburn, Massachusetts, where she has been accepting Guardian ad litem appointments and working with families as a Parenting Consultant. She was one of the founding members of MAGAL and has held multiple roles with MAGAL’s Board of Directors over the years.

Additional background information, professional experience, and contributions related to education initiatives will be provided in a future update.

She later became Chief of the Policy and Procedures Bureau, specializing in developing and drafting agency policy and procedures, particularly in the area of automated enforcement, drafting legislation, and continuing her role as Senior Counsel in the Special Litigation Bureau.

Minkoff Law Offices, LLC, was opened in November 2009 and continues in the practice areas of divorce, custody, child support, divorce mediation, collaborative law, guardianship and conservatorship, and probate of estates. Linda has also served as a Guardian ad Litem since 2012.

Linda received a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern University in 1974 and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in 1987. She was admitted to the practice of law in Massachusetts in December 1987 and is also admitted to practice in the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Linda is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation (MCFM), the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council (MCLC), and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). She also serves on the Board of Directors as Membership Chair of MAGAL and as past President and past Chair of the Education Committee.

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 have 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, has honored Mr. Todd as a leading practitioner in Family Law and Litigation – Trusts and Estates since 2012. 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 and has 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 the Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem, Inc.
• Board of Directors of the 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 a lecturer and adjunct professor of family law at the New England School of Law. He volunteers as a 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, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Suffolk University School of Law, and the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Program. He has authored articles on divorce and family law in several legal publications.

She is the author of Divorce Doesn't Have to Be That Way; A Handbook for the Helping Professional. She is a past president and longtime board member of MAGAL and has been a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops in the area of high conflict divorce.

Additional background information, experience, and board involvement details will be provided in a future update.

Additional background information, experience, and board involvement details will be provided in a future update.

Additional background information, experience, and board involvement details will be provided in a future update.

Additional background information, experience, and board involvement details will be provided in a future update.

Additional background information, experience, and board involvement details will be provided in a future update.

Additional background information, experience, and board involvement details will be provided in a future update.

She uses her experience as both a litigator and a neutral to help clients set strategy, weigh options, and bring their matter to closure. Ms. Simonds is committed to the advancement of family law and service to the Probate and Family Court. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem (MAGAL) and Massachusetts Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), and she also serves on the Family Law Section Council for the Massachusetts Bar Association. She was invited by Chief Justice Casey to teach at the 2022 mandatory trainings for Guardians ad Litem on the Category F Fee Generating List. She volunteers both as Lawyer of the Day in the Suffolk Probate and Family Court, and as an attorney representing children for the ARC Program in Suffolk, Middlesex and Essex counties. Ms. Simonds is a member of the Greater Boston Family Law Inn of Court, American Bar Association Section of Family Law, and Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. Immediately prior to forming Simonds Family Law & Mediation, PLLC, Ms. Simonds worked in small domestic relations law firms in Wellesley, Massachusetts and Winthrop, Massachusetts where she handled all manner of family law cases from intake to resolution by settlement, mediation, or trial.

Since 2004, he has been recognized in Boston magazine, Super Lawyers in Massachusetts, and New England since its original and as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts” in many of those years; was named in the 31st edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, in the area of Family Law, and was selected by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as a member of its Hall of Fame in 2024, as a Go To Lawyer in Family Law in Massachusetts in 2025; and In May 2018 he received MCLE’s Annual Scholar- Mentor Award for his lifetime contributions to Family Law in Massachusetts. He graduated from Tufts University and received his JD and MSW degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

She has served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem (MAGAL) and has been an active member of its Education Committee. Dr. Okin’s work is centered on understanding the impact of parental conflict on children and adolescents, with a particular focus on thoughtfully capturing and clearly communicating the child’s voice to parents and to the Court. She also provides parenting consultation and coaching, supporting parents in developing deeper understanding, connection, and responsiveness to their children’s individual needs.