Jessica Zadjura Named to the Maryland Super Lawyers List in 2027
I still remember the first time my name showed up on a list like this. It was 2016, Maryland Rising Stars, and I read the email twice to make sure it said what I thought it said. I am not sure that instinct has fully gone away.
I have been named to the 2027 Maryland Super Lawyers list in Family Law. This is my fourth year in a row on the Super Lawyers list, and my tenth year of recognition overall, counting six years on Maryland Rising Stars before that. I am the founder of Zadjura Family Law, and I still have not figured out a way to say that without sounding like I am bragging, so I am just going to say it plainly and move on.
What is the Super Lawyers list, and why am I happy about it?
The Super Lawyers list is a peer reviewed honor, which means other Maryland attorneys, not advertisers or algorithms, are the ones doing the choosing. Every year, Super Lawyers runs a multiphase process built on peer nominations, independent research, and evaluation across markers of professional achievement, and only a small share of attorneys in the state make the cut.
I did not buy my way onto this list or fill out a form asking to be included. Other lawyers, some of whom I have gone toe to toe with in a courtroom and some of whom I have sat across a mediation table from, put my name forward. I will admit I find that more flattering than I probably should. There is something genuinely nice about being recognized by the people who know exactly how hard this work is, mostly because they cannot be fooled by a good elevator pitch.
How did I go from Rising Stars to Super Lawyers?
I landed on the Maryland Rising Stars list six times between 2016 and 2021, then moved to the Super Lawyers list itself starting in 2024, where I have stayed every year since. Rising Stars and Super Lawyers are related but separate lists from the same organization, and the jump from one to the other tends to track with years in practice and peer recognition that builds over time.
Looking back at that history feels a little like flipping through old photos I forgot I took. I was building Zadjura Family Law, figuring out how to balance litigation with mediation and parent coordination, and doing it all across Howard County and Anne Arundel County courtrooms and conference rooms. I did not plan any of it as neatly as this list makes it look.
Why does this matter to families in Columbia and Annapolis?
Choosing a family law attorney is not like choosing a restaurant. Families in Columbia and Annapolis are often making that choice during one of the hardest stretches of their lives, without an easy way to judge legal skill from the outside.
Ten years of peer recognition is not proof of anything by itself, but it is a decent signal that other lawyers keep noticing the work I do instead of forgetting my name by the next case. I built Zadjura Family Law to give clients an attorney who can litigate when a case needs a fight and mediate when it needs a calmer table. I am glad that approach seems to be landing with the people who watch me practice for a living.
What Comes Next
This recognition does not change how I practice, mostly because I do not have a more dramatic version of myself waiting in the wings. I still take every case the same way: prepare early, communicate clearly, and treat the other side's family with the same respect I want for my own client.
What it does change is the referral conversation. Other Maryland attorneys send clients my way because they have watched how I handle a case, not because of an ad or a badge on my website. That kind of trust took fifteen years to build, and I plan to keep earning it, slowly and without much fanfare, in Howard County and Anne Arundel County courtrooms and conference rooms for a long time.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Super Lawyers is a rating service published by Thomson Reuters that recognizes attorneys through peer nominations, independent research, and peer review. The list is organized by state, practice area, and year, and only a limited percentage of attorneys in each jurisdiction are selected.
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In Maryland, attorneys move through a multiphase process that includes peer nominations, independent research by the Super Lawyers team, and evaluation across professional achievement markers. The process happens annually, so selection in one year does not automatically carry into the next.
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I was named to the 2027 Maryland Super Lawyers list in Family Law, my fourth consecutive year on the list, following six years on the Maryland Rising Stars list from 2016 through 2021.ith families across Howard and Anne Arundel Counties on both pathways.
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No. Rising Stars and Super Lawyers are two related lists from the same organization, with Rising Stars generally recognizing attorneys earlier in their careers. I was named to both, six years on Rising Stars followed by four consecutive years on the Super Lawyers list.
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No. Selection means an attorney went through a peer review and research process for a specific year, practice area, and jurisdiction. In Maryland, it does not rank attorneys against each other or suggest that any one attorney is superior to those not selected.
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You can schedule a consultation through the Zadjura Family Law intake form on my website. My team and I, based in Columbia and Annapolis, respond to new inquiries directly.
Get in Touch
I continue to serve clients across Howard and Anne Arundel Counties in divorce, custody, mediation, and parent coordination matters, ten years of lists notwithstanding. To schedule a consultation, visit Zadjura Family Law's intake form.
Jessica Zadjura is a Maryland family law attorney, mediator, and parent coordinator with 15 years of experience. She is the founder of Zadjura Family Law LLC, serving clients across Howard and Anne Arundel Counties.