Early Life and Education

Peter Smola was born and raised in the historic city of New Bedford, MA. He attended New Bedford Hight School, graduated Clarke University, in Worcester, Ma, in 1972 with a BA in History and received his J.D. at New England School of Law in 1978.

Judicial Career

Judge Smola was appointed to the bench by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2013. Over the course of his judicial career, he served as an associate Justice of the Probate & Family Court in Bristol and Worcester counties. He also, was appointed as First Justice of the Dukes County Probate & Family Court. Judge Smola retired in 2020 after reaching the mandatory age of retirement. He then returned as a recall justice serving Bristol and Worcester counties until March of 2024. Once again, retiring in March of 2024, Judge Smola served on various committees during his judicial career. This includes the Probate & Family Court Working Group on Substance Use and Mental Health which created the newly implemented Supreme Judicial Court Standards on substance use disorders and mental health conditions.

At the time of his appointment, Judge Smola had served as a sole practitioner at his own private practice since 2003. Prior to opening his practice, he was a partner at Lider, Smola & Fogarty, P.C. for fourteen years. Also, he practiced alongside his father, Barnet Smola, at Smola & Smola, P.C. for ten years. During that time, he provided legal assistance for indigent clients as general counsel to the New Bedford Legal Aid Society (1980 to 1985). His areas of practice included domestic relations, probate, workers comp, and civil litigation.

In Addition to his private practice, Judge Smola served as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals in Dartmouth. He was a past president of the New Bedford Bar Association.

Judge Smola’s appointment to the bench only deepened his commitment to his community where he has lived and raised his family. He has earned a reputation for his compassion, fairness and allowing those who came before him the opportunity to be heard.

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