Press Release: Five Bowditch Attorneys Recognized as Top 500 Leading Family Lawyers in America by Lawdragon

October 9, 2026

Boston and Worcester, MA – October 9, 2026 – Five Bowditch attorneys were recently named Leading Family Lawyers in America in Lawdragon’s 2027 list. The award honors the top 500 practitioners nationwide handling complex family and matrimonial law.

The attorneys honored from Bowditch include partners: Ronald P. Barriere, Elizabeth G. Crowley, Robin M. Lynch Nardone, Lynette Paczkowski, and Francine Gardikas. Each also received this Lawdragon honor in previous years, a sign of their continued commitment and outstanding work in the field.

“To see a significant portion of our Family Law Practice Area receive this recognition speaks to both individual talent and team impact at Bowditch,” said John Shoro, Managing Partner. “All five of these partners are true leaders and experts in the field, always ready to solve a variety of often challenging family law matters. Alongside their individual expertise, the entire practice area is innately adept at cultivating a team of support to ensure collective success.”

Of the five attorneys included on the list, each handles all aspects of divorce and family law, while also bringing specialized expertise and backgrounds:

Barriere is an experienced trial attorney in the areas of divorce, abuse prevention orders, and custody disputes.  He is a trained family mediator and conciliator and frequently assists in crafting divorce, prenuptial, and post-nuptial agreements.  He is known for his approachability and lasting relationships with clients, who often rely on his advice for subsequent matters related to family law and otherwise.

Crowley comes to the table with substantial experience representing clients with complex financial holdings and managing related disputes. She also drafts and negotiates pre- and postnuptial agreements. Crowley has skillfully handled numerous high-conflict family and non-family disputes over family businesses, inheritances, and control over and rights to trust benefits.

Lynch Nardone, Family Law Practice Area Leader, has more than 25 years of experience helping clients through a wide variety of family law matters, including premarital planning, divorce, and post-divorce modifications. She specializes in high net-worth divorces, high-conflict custody/parenting disputes, and parentage actions. Nardone also handles removal cases, child support and alimony actions, and adoption.

Paczkowski has extensive experience advocating for her clients at trial and appellate courts across Massachusetts. She helps individuals navigate pre- and postnuptial agreements, divorces, child custody issues, and other domestic relations disputes. Paczkowski relies on her experience and varied litigation background to look at a case from both sides, assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of each party’s position to either bridge the gap towards resolution or prepare her case for trial.

Lastly, Gardikas is skilled at negotiating agreements involving complicated financial matters and emotional custody disputes. Clients value her experience in all components of divorce and family law including divorce, child custody disputes, paternity, removal, modification and contempt actions, alimony and child support, as well as pre- and postnuptial agreements.

Each of these attorneys is also an active community member outside of their practice area, serving as board members or volunteers for local nonprofits, coaches for youth sport teams, and members of numerous bar associations.

ABOUT BOWDITCH & DEWEY LLP

Bowditch is a highly regarded law firm handling sophisticated transactions, challenging litigation and complex regulatory issues for businesses, families, and institutions throughout Massachusetts, the region and beyond.

With more than 60 lawyers seamlessly connected in four strategic Massachusetts offices – Boston, Plymouth, Southborough and Worcester – Bowditch is deep in the areas of business and finance, real estate and environmental, litigation, employment, higher education, family law, and estate and tax planning, delivering outstanding client satisfaction and quality legal services.