HAIGANUSH R. BEDROSIAN, former R.I. Family Court chief judge, was recently honored by Ocean Tides School with the 2018 Lasallian Service Award during a special dinner ceremony at The Dunes Club in Narragansett. She was honored for her close to four decades of service with Family Court helping families and young people. Bedrosian, who retired from the bench in 2016, was a pioneer in Rhode Island law, becoming the first woman to serve as judge in Family Court in 1980 and then became the first woman to lead Family Court 30 years later. Prior to becoming a judge, Bedrosian worked as a teacher in Massachusetts and then entered private practice, specializing in family law.
How did you first get involved in law, which led you to becoming a judge? I was practicing law for a long time and there were very few women doing that when I started. I started practicing before the Providence Family Court and then I went to all the counties, as all lawyers did to represent their clients. I loved it and I loved what I was doing.
What was it about Family Court where you wanted to help families, specifically children? I was first a teacher in Attleboro, and went to different schools sometimes to help my friends. That’s how I started, and I ended as chief [justice of R.I. Family Court].
How did you help families in a court setting with what you learned as a teacher? I just knew how to deal with families. Whether it was a sister, brother, mother, father or the whole family, I had learned in my practice how to interest people into maintaining the family structure rather than having people tear each other apart. I feel very strongly about that, always have and probably always will. I understood the difficulties, sometimes, of one parent dealing with the other and trying to maintain a relationship with the children they have together.
What is it you miss about no longer being on the bench? I miss the cases, the attorneys, the people who came to our court. I had a very good time there. I think it’s the best court in the world. As far as retirement, I felt it was time for somebody else to become the chief.
What do you hope for the court moving forward? Do you hope for things to keep going in a positive direction for families? Of course. The families get what they need from our court system. I know that the family group will [continue to] work together. They always have, and they always will.