Meet Jessica Markham, the managing principal at Markham Law Firm, and now, American Bar Association published author. Jessica has been granted numerous honors and awards for her exemplary work in Family Law in and out of the courtroom, such as "The Best Lawyers in America", Family Law, Washington D.C. Area (2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). Markham’s expertise in divorce court shines through in her new book, Representing Federal Employees and Their Spouses in Divorce: A Practical Guide. This book offers essential information and insight gathered from Markham’s 16 years of experience, and it is the only resource of its kind.
What inspired you to write this book?
JM: I never thought I would write a book and never planned on it. I actually was asked to write the book which was already a pre-existing concept that had been proposed to the American Bar Association. The person who proposed it never wrote it, and they liked the idea and felt that it was necessary and important—so they asked me if I would take on the project. It was such a unique opportunity and honor that I felt that I could not say no.
It’s no question why Markham was asked to write this book, as she has won 12 prestigious honors and awards, six of them pertaining to family law, making her the perfect candidate.
Do you wish you had a resource like your book when you started practicing law?
JM: The topic of federal employee benefits and divorce is so important to all the federal employees who are going through or have gone through a divorce in the DC area. It is a surprise that there was never one centralized resource for their attorneys until now. By creating this reference book for other attorneys, I took the mystery out of these complicated issues for them and more importantly for our clients.
Not only has Markham created a centralized resource for this information by fitting it into a single volume, but she also has presented it in a manner that is accessible and understandable, and it offers sample documents and forms that are available in a downloadable format online.
What was your experience like writing this book?
JM: I was asked to write the book in January 2018, and it took me almost an entire year to research its contents. Between 2019 and 2020, I made edits and went through rounds with peer review until finishing in the last fall. The material is unbelievably dense and pretty dry, so it was a challenge while running a law firm, mediating and litigating. I did a lot of research and writing on nights and weekends in addition to my day job. It was a lot of hard work, but I feel good knowing that the book will be a resource for many years to come.
In addition to litigating some of the most complex and difficult divorce, custody and guardianship cases, Markham is a trained Guardianship Mediator through the Maryland Judiciary and is also frequently appointed by the Court as an attorney for Allegedly Disabled Adults and as Guardian of the Property along with frequently serving as a court-appointed divorce and custody mediator, and she continued to keep this work up throughout her book-writing process.
What was the process like being published by the American Bar Association?
JM: The American Bar Association is wonderful to work with. They are the best of the best in the legal world and it was a dream come true to be able to work with them on my first book.
Markham is a Fellow of the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association, as she was recognized and selected for her dedication and expertise in the legal profession and her community.
How did your 16 years of practicing law play a role in your writing?
JM: Over the last almost 16 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of people either as their attorney or as a mediator or facilitator. I am also hired by attorneys and clients to prepare their court orders dividing their pensions and TSP accounts even when I don’t handle the divorce. I have met and spoken to countless federal employees who have more questions than answers about what is going to happen to their benefits. I feel really good about the fact that I—and attorneys who read my book—can now answer their questions fully and with confidence so that they can feel good that they are armed with all the necessary information about their benefits.
Markham’s experience doesn’t just stem from her years of practicing law and owning a critically acclaimed law firm, but she also has an active mediation practice, where she helps parties to resolve both custody and divorce/property disputes as a neutral. This gives her more insight, experiences and knowledge to pull from when writing her book.
Why do you think it is important to have a resource like this in the field of divorce law?
JM: Now lawyers have all of the answers to their questions at their fingertips. There should be no unanswered questions for the clients and no reason to look elsewhere when it comes to representing federal employees and their spouses in divorce. For the first time, all the information is in one place.
Photography by: Photography by Sarah Marcella Creative