She was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2007 to serve as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

She later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2007.

Botsford practiced law in the private sector as an associate at the firm of Hill & Barlow for one year before going on to serve as a partner at Rosenfeld, Botsford & Krokidas, a Boston law firm, for three years.

In 1989, Botsford was appointed as an associate justice of the Superior Court, where she served for eighteen years until her appointment to the Supreme Judicial Court after the death of Justice Martha B. Sosman.

Botsford has also taught at the Northeastern University School of Law, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Boston University Law School, the National Judicial College, and the Flaschner Judicial Institute.