The Honorable Judith C. Cutler (Ret.) served as the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Land Court from January 2014 through her retirement at the end of October 2018. Justice Cutler was appointed to the bench by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2009, filling a vacancy on the Land Court created by the retirement of Hon. Leon J. Lombardi.
Justice Cutler earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook (1974) and a master’s degree in community planning from the University of Rhode Island (1977). She worked as an assistant planner in Connecticut for two years, before heading up the Planning Department in Concord Massachusetts for 11 years. While in Concord, she attended Suffolk University Law School evening division, completing her JD degree in 1989.
In 1990, Justice Cutler started her law career as an associate at Kopelman and Paige, P.C., where she remained for the next twenty years, becoming a principal of the firm in 1989. During her time at Kopelman and Paige, she concentrated her practice on land use law, advising municipalities, and litigating in the trial and appellate courts. Following her retirement from the Land Court, Justice Cutler returned to the firm, where she worked as Of Counsel until mid-2024.
Justice Cutler’s professional memberships have included the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Real Estate Bar Association, and the Abstract Club. She is also a member of the American Law Institute, currently serving as an advisor on the 4th Restatement of Property Law project.
As an Access to Justice Fellow, Justice Cutler will volunteer with the Lawyers Clearinghouse & Massachusetts Land Court’s joint Tax Lien Title Clinic, helping coordinate clinic volunteers and assisting clients facing the loss of their homes through tax lien title foreclosure.