Carol S. McCarthy

Carol McCarthy, Pittsburgh Family Law Attorney

Carol McCarthy has practiced family law since 1976 and has concentrated her practice in family law since 1985.  She has handled all areas of family law, including cases involving abused and neglected children.  She began practicing law in 1975, after being admitted to the bar.  She went into practice at Neighborhood Legal Services, an organization that represents indigent clients.  In this practice, she was exposed to a variety of difficult family law issues.  Ms. McCarthy represented children and parents in matters involving custody between parents and between parents and the county.

In 1985 Ms. McCarthy entered private practice, concentrating exclusively in family law, both in adult and juvenile contexts.  She initially practiced with a boutique family law firm, and then handled all cases involving family law issues in a small general practice firm.  In 1992, she established a firm dedicated solely to the area of family law.  The firm was created in partnership with well-known family lawyers Margaret P. Joy, June S. Schulberg, and Mary K. McDonald.

Ms. McCarthy is a Fellow in the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. This is a national organization that request the establishment of skill in this area of law through testing and review by experienced family law practitioners. She has been an officer of the Pennsylvania Chapter since 2003, serving as the president of the group during 2008-2009.   Further, she has served as the Chair of the Board of Examiners of the organization.   On a national level, Ms. McCarthy assists in fundraising for the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation, which supports worthy causes.

As a result of her experience, Ms. McCarthy has spoken frequently to various groups of lawyers and judges on many topics in the area of family law, locally and across Pennsylvania.  Ms. McCarthy has served as the chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association Family Law Section, as well as being an active participant in that section since 1975.  She also has served on the Council for the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section.  Ms. McCarthy was appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Domestic Relations Rules Committee beginning in September 2008. She began chairing this committee in June 2012 and will continue in that role until September of 2014.

Ms. McCarthy has made it a professional priority to try to improve legal services to the public.  In that effort, she serves on a variety of bar association committees, locally and statewide.  She has served on the Boards of Governors, both with the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations.  Her work with the local and state bars has also served to advance women in the profession.  She was the founding Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association Women in the Law Committee and received recognition for this service during the Allegheny County Bar Association’s 1992 Bench Bar Conference.   In 2005, Ms. McCarthy received the Carol Los Mansmann Helping Hand Award from the Women in Law Division. In 2001, she received the Susan B. Anthony Award from the Allegheny County Women’s Bar Association.  This award recognizes outstanding achievement on behalf of women in the profession.  Ms. McCarthy, along with all of the partners in the firm, is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, the charitable and fundraising arm of the bar association. Ms. McCarthy has also assisted the members of the bench and bar by active involvement in the annual meeting of the Bench Bar Conference, including chairing the entire event in 2003.   In 2005, she received the prestigious Philip J. Amram Award, recognizing outstanding service to the Bench Bar Conference, excellence in the practice of law, and service to the community.  To further assist the resolution of fee disputes with litigants, she has served on the bar association’s fee dispute committee.

Ms. McCarthy has also been active in the wider community. While working for Neighborhood Legal Services, she was instrumental in creating a shelter for abused women in the Allegheny Valley.  She served on the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Legal Services and was president between July 2012 and June 2014. Ms. McCarthy has served on the Board of Directors of Women’s Health Services, a provider of low-cost medical services to women.

Ms. McCarthy graduated from Capital University Law School in 1975, where her law review article involved a matter of family law.