Judith Crittenden – Of Counsel

Judith S. Crittenden, a native of the state of Alabama, is the founder of The Crittenden Firm, P.C. She graduated cum laude from Judson College in 1967 and Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in 1970. After graduation she worked in the field of law reform as an attorney for the Birmingham Area Legal Aid Society. In 1972 she became the Deputy District Attorney at the Jefferson County Family Court handling cases involving both juveniles and adults. She was the first woman in the state of Alabama to serve as a Deputy District Attorney. In 1974 she entered private practice. Since that time she has represented men and women, served as an advocate for mothers and fathers, children and grandparents in a wide range of cases in the family law field. She is a recipient of the highest rating (AV) attainable by Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar indicating a very high to preeminent professional skill and very high ethical standards. She has also appeared several times in Best Lawyers in America.

Judy is regarded as one of the top domestic relations attorneys in Alabama and handles a variety of referrals from around the country. She has an excellent reputation in representing individuals in divorce, child custody, and other related family law matters.

Judy was a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers from 1995 to 2011 and of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers from 2008 to 2015.  She speaks at Continuing Legal Education Programs throughout the United States and has contributed to a variety of publications.

She was a founder of the Women Lawyer’s Section of the Birmingham Bar Association and of the Family Violence Center of the YWCA. She has received numerous awards in the community and from her Alma mater, Cumberland School of Law for her work in family law.

• Alabama Bar Association
• Charter member of Family Law Section
• American Bar Association
• Family Law Section
• Birmingham Bar Association
• Charter Member of Women’s Section, Chairman 1996
• Arbitration Committee 2007

• 2013 – Selected in the area of Family Law in The Best Lawyers in America, 20th Edition
• 2010 – Alabama Family Law Section Lawyer of the Year
• 2009 – Alabama Super Lawyers Listing (for several years)
• 2008 – Alabama Super Lawyers May 2008 Issue of Super Lawyers, “The Redoubtable Ms. Crittenden”
• 2005 – Women Business Owners Hall of Fame Trailblazer Award presented by NAWBO
• 2005 – Cumberland School of Law Samford University Lawyer in Residence
• 2004 – Finalist in Birmingham Business Journal’s Top Birmingham Women Award
• 2004 – Finalist in Birmingham Business Journal’s Best in Business Executive of the Year Award
• 2002 – Recipient of the Cumberland School of Law Samford University Distinguished Alumna Award
• 2001 – Listed in Best Lawyers in America
• 1999 – Recipient of the BLSA Lawyer of the Year Award
• 1997 – First Place Birmingham Bar Association Bench & Bar Fishing Tournament
• 1977-2012 Listed several years in Birmingham Magazine as Birmingham’s Top Attorneys

• Judson College, Marion, Alabama (B.A., cum laude, 1967)
• Samford University- Cumberland School of Law, Birmingham Alabama (J.D., cum laude, 1970)

• United States 11th Circuit District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
• State of Alabama

• Leadership Birmingham, 1986, (Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, 1988 to present)
• Cumberland School of Law Advisory Board, 1990-97 and 2003-2011
• President of the National Alumni Association, 1999-2001
• Downtown Rotary, 2002 to present; Trustee 2006-2007 and 2016-2016
• UAB Honors Program Advisory Board, 1997-2008
• Community Grief Support Service Board, 2004-2006
• The Newcomen Society of the United States
• Family Law Roundtable Group
• Womens Network, 1980-2010
• Founder of Birmingham-Jefferson County Women’s Center (known as The YWCA Domestic Violence Program), 1978
• Friends of WBHM Board, 2008-2011
• The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham Board, 2006–2014
• Co-Chair of Voices Against Violence, 2006
• Commissioner of Southside Softball, 1994-1996
• Member of The Cathedral Church of the Advent (Episcopal)

• Alabama Family Law (Alabama Practice Series) 2nd Edition, Thomson-West Publishing, 2015, (A three volume treatise on Family Law in the State of Alabama.)
• Legal Status of Homemakers in Alabama, National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year, Department of State, U.S.A. (1977);
• Book review, Alabama Alimony and Child Custody, 14 Cumberland Law Review, 265 (1984)
• “Default Divorce,” Marital Law, Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Summer 1985
• Contributing Editor for Alabama Law, The Family Law Reporter, BNA, 1989
• Drafted Code of Alabama, 1975, Title 30-3-5, Venue statute for modification or enforcement of Divorce Decrees.
• “Preparing a Client for Settlement,” The Joy of Settlement, American Bar Association, Spring 1997
• Contributing Editor to Chapter 15 Family Law, Basic Manual for the Lawyer’s Assistant, Sixth Edition, 2001

• Marital Law, A Default Divorce, ABICLE, 1985.
• The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act and the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act, ABICLE – Montgomery, February 1986; and Role of the Guardian ad Litem in Domestic
• Relations Cases, Trial Judges of Alabama, Spring 1986.
• The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act and the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act, ABICLE – Birmingham, February 1986.
• The Proposed Adoption Code, Hot Tips, ABICLE, September, 1990.
• Making A Briefcase Book, AAML Alabama Chapter, 1995
• Women in the Legal Profession, Finding the Glass Slipper That Fits: An Overview of the Diverse Career Tracks and Options Available for Women Attorneys, Including a Discussion of Job Re-entry, ABICLE & UA School of Law, 1995.
• Anatomy of a Divorce Initial Pleading and Discovery (Plaintiff), AAML-Alabama Chapter, 1996.
• Whatever Happened to Pendente Lite Attorney’s Fees?, ABICLE, 1996.
• Lawyering Skills 101 Domestic Relations the Nuts and Bolts of Divorce Work, Cumberland School of Law, September 1997.
• Advanced Family Law Conquering Complex, Unique, and Difficult Issues Focusing on Negotiation, Cumberland School of Law, February 1997.
• Fee Issues and Productive Billing, AAML-Alabama Chapter, 2001.
• Family Law vs. Bankruptcy Law, Thirteenth Annual Bankruptcy Law Seminar, October 2002
• Trading Spaces, Using Other State’s Solutions to Solve Our Problems. AAML-Alabama Chapter, 2004.
• Family Law, Practicing Family Law and Managing Your Office Better and Smarter, American Bar Association – Family Law Section in Austin, Texas in Spring 2005. Also, presented at National CLE Conference, LEI in Colorado in January 2005 and at Eighth Annual Kentucky AAML Chapter – Louisville Bar Association in April 2005.
• Domestic Violence Law in Alabama: Civil, Tort Law Claims, ABICLE, May 2005.
• Social Security Law for the Divorce Practitioner, Alabama Family Law Section, October 2006.
• Learning from the Mistakes of Others: Disaster Preparedness and Your Law Firm, American Bar Association Family Law Section Fall CLE Conference, October 2006.
• Marital Torts, LEI, January 2007
• Domestic Torts and the Disruption of Domestic Tranquility: Going Beyond the Divorce Complaint, Oregon Family Law Conference at Salishan, October 2010.