Blair Q. McCarthy

Blair Q. McCarthy is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Whittier College School of Law in Costa Mesa, California. At Whittier, Blair was a Center for Children’s Rights Fellow, receiving a certificate in children’s rights law. Blair was the Research Editor of the Whittier Journal of Child and Family Advocacy. Blair’s article on involving youth in their own court proceedings was published in the journal in 2009. Blair received the Dean’s Citation Award for citizenship in the last school community, recognizing her volunteer efforts throughout law school.

Blair’s practice focuses on child welfare, guardianship and complex custody cases, child legal representation in domestic relations cases, adoption, and mediation.

Blair has practiced juvenile law in Colorado for the entirety of her career. Blair has represented parents and children in dependency and neglect cases, youth in juvenile delinquency cases, the Department of Human Services in dependency and neglect cases, and parents and kin in domestic relations matters. Blair’s experience with all aspects of a dependency and neglect case gives her a unique perspective and ability to work effectively with all parties involved while advocating for the child’s best interests and the interests of her clients.

Blair served as a magistrate in Jefferson County for 5 years where she presided over hundreds of domestic relations trials, contested dependency and neglect hearings, juvenile delinquency hearings, adoption hearings, and protection order hearings.Blair presided over the Family integrated Treatment Court, a substance use disorder specialty court, for 2 years.

Blair is an experienced litigator, having litigated hundreds of cases as counsel in dependency and neglect cases as well as having presided over those cases as a magistrate.

Outside of court, Blair previously served as the Chair of the Colorado Bar Association Juvenile Law Section and on the Executive Counsel of the Denver Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Blair has also guest lectured at the University of Denver School of Social Work on the dependency and neglect process and social work in dependency and neglect cases. Blair assisted in drafting portions of the amended Colorado Rules of Juvenile Procedure.Blair also drafted portions of the Dependency and Neglect Bench Book, which guides judges across Colorado in conducting dependency and neglect proceedings.