About Georgiana Betses
Georgiana Betses LaFortune trained in two Massachusetts classrooms before she began practicing law. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1981 and followed that with a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1984. Those credentials set the stage for a career that spans private practice and mediation work.
After law school, LaFortune entered private practice in Massachusetts. Over the years she moved into roles that blended litigation and alternative dispute resolution. She is admitted to the Massachusetts bar and to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Her courtroom credentials sit alongside a steady involvement in mediation and settlement work.
LaFortune is a partner at LaFortune and LaFortune, Legal and Mediation Services. At the firm she handles a mix of matters that commonly bring people into family law and civil dispute settings. Her role involves counsel, negotiation and serving as a neutral mediator in cases referred for alternative dispute resolution. The firm’s name signals that mediation is an integral part of the practice, and LaFortune’s work reflects that balance between advocacy and facilitated settlement.
Her mediation work is reinforced by memberships in several professional organizations. She is active in the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Essex County Bar Association. She also belongs to the Association of Conflict Resolution and the Massachusetts Council of Family Mediation. Those affiliations provide regular contact with peers who manage contested custody, divorce, parenting plan, and other family-related disputes. They also connect her to continuing education on evolving standards for mediation practice.
Colleagues and clients encounter LaFortune in multiple settings: drafting agreements, appearing in state proceedings, and conducting mediation sessions outside the courtroom. She brings practical courtroom knowledge to mediation sessions. That background helps in evaluating settlement proposals and assessing the likely outcomes if a case were to proceed to trial.
She has maintained a steady practice in Massachusetts and before the First Circuit while also building a mediation caseload. The mix of litigation and settlement work defines her day-to-day professional life. She currently practices at LaFortune and LaFortune, Legal and Mediation Services, concentrating on mediation and family law matters.
