Get to know your Family Court Judge:   

Carl grew up in Springfield, Kentucky and has lived his entire adult life and raised his children in Lexington. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown College in 1994 and received his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1997. He has dedicated his entire 25 year professional career to the practice of family law before being appointed by Governor Beshear to his current position as Family Court Judge. This is an important distinction because it illustrates that Carl has extensive experience in practicing in each and every area of family law. He has handled thousands of cases in the areas of:  

  • Divorce 

  • Custody 

  • Domestic Violence 

  • Dependency, Abuse and Neglect

  • Child support and Paternity

  • Adoption

  • Grandparent Visitation

After graduating law school, Carl was hired by the prestigious law firm of Miller, Griffin & Marks, where he was mentored by Catesby Woodford, who is considered one of the best family law attorneys to have practiced in the Commonwealth. Carl became a partner at MGM and spent the first 20 years of his career there. From 2018-2022 he was a small business owner and operated Devine Law, PLLC as a private practitioner.

Carl is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, the Fayette County Bar Association and is also a member and former chair of the domestic relations section of the FCBA. He is a member of the Grandparents as Parents (GAP) committee and has provided free legal consults to attendees of the annual GAP Conference for 13 years. Carl has also been a presenter at the GAP Conference on legal issues that confront grandparents and other caregivers that are the primary caretakers of other people’s children. This is an unfortunate and prevalent issue in Kentucky that is often related to addiction and Carl has extensive experience supporting families in such cases. He recently addressed these topics at the GAP Conference conducted in October 2021. Carl was an invited speaker in September 2021 at a seminar hosted by the Louisville Bar Association where he educated other attorneys on the topics of guardianship, custody, de facto custody and grandparent visitation.  

Carl spends an extensive amount of time volunteering in the community, along with his family. In addition to his dedication to the GAP Conference and GAP Committee referenced above, he collaborated with the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University to provide paid internships for undergraduate students interested in learning about the practice of law. He has volunteered with Southland Christian Church in various programs and at the Hope Center in Lexington. He has also volunteered his time for the Beaumont Barracudas Swim Team for 5 years and was a coach for the Glendover Basketball League for 10 years. 

Carl and his wife, Scarlett, share four wonderful children, Kamryn, Meradith, Grant and Caroline. Scarlett is a former schoolteacher and is now a Registered Nurse. Kamryn is in her first year of law school at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. Meradith is proudly serving as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army and is currently stationed in South Korea. Grant is a National Merit Scholar and is a Freshman at U.K. Caroline is a Senior in the MSTC program at Paul Laurence Dunbar. When he is not serving his clients at work, Carl also enjoys spending time with his family, reading, working out, golfing, and cheering on the Cats in every sport. Carl is honored to have the support of his family, his friends, and a substantial number of his peers.    

Unmatched Experience 

*Judge Devine has more professional experience than any other candidate running for Family Court Judge. He was in his 25th year of practicing domestic relations law in Fayette and surrounding counties before being appointed to the bench.

*In addition to his professional experience in family courts, Carl has extensive personal experience with family court matters. Judge Devine has stood in the shoes of many individuals who come before the family court. He has been through the experience of a divorce and has worked to achieve a successful co-parenting relationship. He is remarried and has dealt with the unique challenges that come with forming a blended family to provide the best possible environment for children. Carl is a parent, a step-parent and an adoptive parent.